


Undercover Lover

by Ultra



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - No Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Drama, Awkward Conversations, Complicated Relationships, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Fatherhood, Friendship, Happy Ending, Hospitals, Kissing, Lies, Love, Love Confessions, Male-Female Friendship, Misunderstandings, Secrets, Sex, Shooting Guns, Sisters, Spies & Secret Agents, Truth, Undercover, Undercover Missions, Understanding, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 54,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: Lucy Preston is dating Garcia Flynn. It's only been a month but she's already sure she's falling in love with him. After all, he seems like the perfect boyfriend... but that means there has to be a catch, right?
Relationships: Garcia Flynn/Lucy Preston, Rufus Carlin/Jiya
Comments: 154
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter of this story popped into my head and refused to go away until I wrote it down. The rest of the plot is... kind of vague at present, but I'll get there. In the meantime, Garcy fans, enjoy? ;)

Lucy woke to the exhilarating feeling of a night well-spent. Not that she got much rest, which she probably could’ve used, but that was just fine. Sleep was easy enough to catch up on some other time, last night was something else entirely. Her body was still buzzing and aching in all the best ways as she stretched beneath the covers, peering over at the head on the pillow next to her own.

Garcia Flynn. As boyfriend’s went, he really was kind of amazing. Handsome, intelligent, great sense of humour, a real gentleman in polite company, and something entirely different behind closed doors, she had found. Lucy felt like she suddenly understood what ‘throes of passion’ truly meant when she led him into her bedroom last night.

It hadn’t been a plan, not really. They had been seeing each other about a month and Lucy had tried to pace herself where Garcia was concerned, after what happened with the last guy she let close. Unfortunately, he was just too enticing, just too sweet, just too sexy. When he was kissing her goodnight on the doorstep, she couldn’t seem to find a way to let go and dragged him inside her apartment instead.

In the cold light of day, she couldn’t say she regretted it. In fact, as nice as it was to lie there and watch her beautiful boyfriend sleep, there was an urge in her to wake him for round four before it was too late.

“You do know it’s creepy to watch people sleep, right?” he said, startling her just a little, one eye opening to peer at her as a smirk pulled at his lips.

“Well, since apparently you’re not really asleep, I guess it’s not creepy that I’m watching,” Lucy said smartly with a smile of her own.

A chuckle rumbled in Garcia’s chest as he moved closer, his hand cupping her cheek and pulling her into him. He kissed her deeply and Lucy let her eyes fall closed, revelling in all the wonderful feelings he could evoke in her. It all could’ve been so perfect, if not for the beeping sound suddenly emanating from his cell on the nightstand.

“Damn it,” Garcia cursed, pulling away.

“No, no, no,” she insisted, her arms locking around his neck to keep him with her. “You don’t have to go yet,” she insisted. “You can be half an hour late, just once, right?”

She was going for an enticing look, fluttering eyelashes, pouty lips. Lucy wasn’t entirely sure that kind of thing would work for her, she wasn’t usually the type to try it, but if he left her wanting right now, she might just go crazy. She was willing to try anything to make him stay just a little bit longer.

“Lucy,” he said, a sigh in his voice as he looked down at her. “You know I would love to stay but-”

“Then stay,” she insisted, her finger on his lips to silence him. “Come on, you’re a grown man, Garcia,” she said, shifting her body very deliberately against his own. “You can’t stand up to the boss just this once?”

She knew what she was doing to him, it was all very purposeful, and she knew that he knew it too. The question was whether it would work or not, whether Lucy truly was the one thing Garcia Flynn could not resist.

“You know, for a woman that seems like such a good girl in public,” he said softly, fingers running through her hair, “you can be a very bad influence, draga.”

“I hope so,” she told him with a smile, drawing him closer.

Inside her head, Lucy congratulated herself on winning this round and the slightly dubious achievement of making Garcia late for work this morning. It was probably the last coherent thought she had for quite some time.

* * *

“Ah, Mr Flynn, so nice of you to join us.”

Garcia smiled politely at his boss and nodded his head. “Denise. I trust you coped just fine without me for the entire... twenty-seven minutes,” he said, pausing to check his watch for the exact figure.

“I was doing this job before you even graduated high school, junior,” she said, smirking back at him. “I hope you were at least late for a good reason? Like, for example, work?”

“What else?” he countered, rolling his eyes as he passed by her to his desk.

Seemingly satisfied that he was now present and getting on with something useful, Denise left Garcia to his work. Not that he really believed he was going to get much done after last night, but at least he could make it look like he was trying.

Operating on next to no sleep wasn’t so bad and Garcia had done it plenty of times before. Unfortunately, there was no drink or pill or special technique that was going to cure his other problem - a head full of Lucy Preston.

It was tougher than ever to concentrate now most of the images he had swirling around in his mind involved her being naked and beneath him, but Garcia knew he was just going to have to find a way. She had taken over most of his life already, he couldn’t allow one woman to swallow him whole, however tempting it seemed.

Of course, she could never be the female that mattered most in his life. That place would always and forever be taken by Iris, his precious little girl, not that Lucy could possibly know that. She was aware of Garcia’s marriage to Lorena and of the fact they were now divorced, but she knew no details and not a syllable had been said about Iris. Maybe one day, but not now, it just wasn’t the time.

Time. Garcia glanced at his cell just as it beeped to let him know he had a message. His mind flashed-back to the last time he heard a similar sound from the phone when his alarm sounded this morning, to Lucy’s wide eyes and enticing lips, her fingers in his hair and her skin under his hands...

A loud rapping sound brought Garcia out of a daydream he never should’ve let himself fall into and he looked up to see that Denise was back. She stared in at him from the doorway, wearing a frown.

“What is it now?” he asked her, trying to keep his voice even but knowing there was an almost angry tone in his voice, borne of frustration that he was having trouble keeping in check.

“I’ll need your latest report by noon,” she reminded him, still watching him with that look only mothers knew how to give, and then only when they were trying to figure out what was wrong without asking. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No, no problem,” Garcia assured her, shaking his head. “Not if I’m left alone to get on with it.”

Denise shot him a look for the attitude but still nodded her head and let him be after just a few seconds more. Garcia let out a sigh of relief when she was gone and turned his attention to the computer screen. Calling up the next page, he entered yesterday’s date and readied his hands over the keyboard to type.

He stared at the cursor flashing in place, hardly knowing where to begin. One hand came up to push his hair back from his face, as he took a breath and prepared to start again. In a second, his hand was slamming against the desk in frustration. He couldn’t do this. He thought that he could handle it, but he hadn’t banked on Lucy Preston being as amazing as she truly was.

Clicking back through the previous pages of the file, her photograph appeared and Garcia stared into those eyes he knew so well. One month. How this had happened to him in such a short time, he had no idea. Years of training, so much experience in undercover work, never once had he been tempted to fall for the mark, not until her. Not until the heir to an evil organisation that planned on rewriting history, rebuilding the world to their design. Not until Lucy who had completely overtaken him.

Garcia sighed, pushing the chair away from the desk and running his hands over his face.

“I am so screwed.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everybody reading this likes Amy, right? I hope so!

“Sorry I’m late!” Lucy declared as she threw herself into the booth opposite her sister. “It has been a heck of a day.”

“When did teaching history suddenly become manual labour?” asked Amy with a chuckle. “You look exhausted.”

“I _am_ exhausted,” Lucy nodded, reaching for the drink waiting on the table for her. “Ugh, I really need sleep.”

“Okay... Oh my God!” Amy suddenly gasped. “You had sex last night!”

Lucy came very close to a major spit-take, her wide eyes darting left and right around the eatery, afraid that everybody just heard her sister’s not-so-quiet comment.

“Amy, seriously,” she said in a whisper, wiping the side of her mouth with the back of her hand.

“What?”

“A little louder, maybe? I think there’s some people across the street that didn’t quite hear you.”

“Prude.”

“Brat.”

Even as they bickered, they were laughing, as was often the way with the Preston sisters. They really couldn’t be more different but they also couldn’t be any closer if they tried. Lucy loved Amy so much and they relied on each other way more than either one would ever admit. Of course, she had told her sister about seeing Garcia, they had even met once, very briefly, but Lucy wasn’t exactly surprised at Amy’s reaction to realising that she and her new guy had spent the night together. Though she wasn’t exactly the prude that Amy would call her, Lucy knew this was not normal behaviour for her.

“So, things must’ve got pretty serious pretty fast,” said Amy then, sucking her drink up through the straw. “I actually don’t think I’ve ever known you get as far as the bedroom this fast before, not counting that completely out-of-character one-night stand in college.”

“Yeah, well, Garcia is... different,” said Lucy, unable to keep the grin off her face just thinking about him. “I don’t know what it is about him, Amy, but I just... I feel like I kind of lose my mind around him sometimes. It’s not just that he’s gorgeous, which he obviously is, it’s... everything. It’s how sweet he can be, how much of a gentleman he is, how he listens when I talk, how he completely respects my opinions but also challenges me on things.”

“You’re the only person I know who gets turned on by debating history.” Amy rolled her eyes. “But hey, if it makes you happy, I’m all for it. You deserve this, Lucy. I mean it, you really do.”

“I like to think so.” Lucy smiled widely. “So, you don’t think I’m crazy for moving this fast?” she asked, shaking her head a second later. “Wait, what am I saying? Of course, _you_ don’t think it’s too fast. I’m pretty sure as soon as you saw him you told me to jump him fast or you would.”

“I was kidding!” Amy insisted, though there was something in her eyes that proved she wasn’t entirely making a joke. “Seriously though, that guy is 100% man, plus the accent? It’s like everything he says is sexy.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Lucy admitted, cheeks turning pink as she recalled a few things that had been said last night in her bed. “Um, but hey, we’re not here to talk exclusively about my love life. How are things with you and... Eric?”

“Meh, that’s over.” Amy waved away Lucy’s question with her free hand.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, it seemed like it should work, but actually, he was kind of boring. Any chance your guy has a brother?”

“Not that he’s ever mentioned.”

The waiter came over to take their order then and though Lucy ordered her usual meal, Amy decided she felt like something different and spent a while looking over her menu and asking a few questions. Meanwhile, Lucy’s mind was wandering just a bit. She meant what she said, Garcia never had mentioned whether he had a brother or not, but when she thought about it more, she realised she knew very little factual information about his family at all. Were his parents still alive? Did he see them at all? Did he actually have brothers and sisters? He wasn’t married, that was all she had really bothered to check, which was pretty important, in Lucy’s opinion, if she was going to be seeing a guy, but somehow, she felt she ought to know more about his family situation by now. He knew all about hers, after all.

“Lucy?” her sister called to her across the table, the waiter long gone and Amy looking a little concerned when Lucy finally paid attention. “I know you’re tired but now you just look weird,” she said, making a face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said, shaking her head. “I was just thinking... but it’s fine,” she insisted then, painting on a smile. “Now, tell me what’s going on with you. I want to hear everything.”

Amy had plenty to say, she always did, and Lucy was happy enough to listen and be distracted from her own concerning thoughts. Maybe she was making too much of Garcia not talking about his family. He mentioned he was divorced once, but nothing about his blood kin. There was every chance he just didn’t have a family, that they didn’t get along or something, in which case he was hardly likely to bring them up and Lucy had never directly asked. Maybe she would sometime, but for now, she was hanging out with Amy for their usual catch up.

It was as it had been pretty much every week since they both moved out of their old house when their mother passed away a couple of years ago. Amy had stories aplenty about a guy she had been dating, her work at the health studio, or something hilarious that happened on a night out with her friends. Lucy had less amusing tales to tell, at least, in her sister’s opinion anyway, since a lot of them were based on what happened in her history classes and such. That didn’t mean the Preston women didn’t have fun together because they always did.

“Oh, also, I need you to come to this thing on Saturday,” said Amy suddenly, digging around in her purse and then producing a folded-up flyer which she tossed in Lucy’s direction. “Getting people to show up has kind of become a competition at work so...”

“A blood drive?” Lucy frowned. “Amy, you know how I feel about blood. I only like it when it’s _inside_ my body,” she said, throwing the flyer back to her sister as if the very sight of it made her nauseous - truthfully, it kind of did, actually.

“Oh, get over it, Luce.” Amy rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to look if you don’t want to, but I need you to donate. The person who gets the most donations gets $100 and I really, really want those boots we saw last time we went shopping.”

Lucy remembered the boots and she knew Amy would be so determined about this. Besides, giving blood really was a great and selfless thing to do, it saved lives and everything. Lucy wanted to do it and yet the very idea made her want to throw up all over the place.

“Couldn’t I just give you $100 and not go?” she said, rubbing her forehead with one hand.

“How about you give me a $100 and you still have to donate?” Amy suggested with a grin, but Lucy wasn’t finding any of this amusing. “Fine, you don’t _have_ to come,” she said with a sigh. “But could you at least let people know it’s happening, friends from work, whatever?”

“Sure. That I can do,” Lucy agreed, breathing a sigh of relief and taking a long drink from her glass.

“Ooh, you should ask your new beefcake boyfriend to come along!” Amy said then with so much enthusiasm. “I’ll bet he has plenty of blood to spare, the guy is built like a frickin’ tree.”

“You do not have a firm grasp of biology, do you?” Lucy smirked. “I’m pretty sure we all have the same amount of blood, no matter how tall or short.”

“It was a joke.” Amy rolled her eyes. “But you should definitely bring your man along on Saturday. There’s no way he’s afraid of needles or the sight of blood.”

“I’m not really sure how you would know that but you’re probably right,” Lucy considered.

“What does he do anyway?” Amy asked then, frowning a little as she seemed to be trying to think if she ought to know. “Doctor? No, you wouldn’t go there again.”

“He’s in administration,” Lucy reminded her sister of what she must have told her before. “For some big company. Honestly, he doesn’t talk about work much, he says it’s too boring to care about.”

“That I can understand. Desk jobs, yawn!” Amy over acted, before getting into another hilarious story from her own place of work.

Lucy meant to listen, she really did, and yet her mind soon began to wander again. It was so strange, but she was only just now realising that she knew next to nothing about Garcia’s work either. Pretty much what she just said to Amy was all the information she had herself, which was a little weird now that she really thought about it. It made her wonder what they ever talked about when they were together, but they did talk, a lot actually. Lucy wondered if she went on too much and didn’t give Garcia a chance to speak himself, unless they were getting caught up in some debate or other.

She had told him about her family, she supposed, about Amy mostly, but her parents got a mention too, in so far as their names and the fact they had both passed away already. She mentioned her friends sometimes, talked about her work a lot, and that was where the historical discussions came in. Garcia really didn’t talk about himself much at all, which was odd, wasn’t it?

“Wow, you really are that tired, aren’t you?” said Amy, cluing Lucy into the fact she really had not been listening to her sister at all for quite a while.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised fast, just as their food finally showed up. “Eating will help, I swear. I mean, sleep will be better, but this should wake me up, at least a little,” she promised, digging into her meal with gusto.

“It must have been a _really_ good night,” said Amy, eyes sparkling with fun.

“Not giving you details,” Lucy told her definitely, eyes on her food as she continued to eat.

“Like I’d ask!” Amy scoffed, concentrating on her own meal for all of a minute before she gave in, just as Lucy knew she would. “Okay, so one question?” she said, peering across at her sister and trying to meet her eyes.

“One question,” she agreed, “and only one.”

Amy grinned in some kind of triumph, leaning further across the table to pose her seemingly very important question.

“So, that whole thing about tall guys with the big hands and the big feet and all... true?”

Lucy felt her cheeks burn and very nearly choked on the food she was in the process of swallowing when she realised what Amy was asking. Not that she should have been surprised, of course, and she had agreed to answer one question, after all. Looking left and right, as if she expected the whole place to be hanging on her answer, Lucy eventually met Amy’s gaze again and gave her answer.

“True.”

Amy cackled with laughter and then went right back to her meal as Lucy tried to do the same. She could hardly believe her sister wanted to know such a thing and yet it was pretty normal for her. Thoughts of that kind didn’t exactly help Lucy to concentrate on eating and it sure as hell failed miserably in keeping her mind off thinking about Garcia in general. She really was going to have to make more effort to let him talk when they went out next time, though of course, right now, she was much more tempted by the idea of staying in with him instead.

“Now is not the time,” she muttered to herself, only realising the words had been at all out loud when Amy asked what she said. “Nothing,” Lucy insisted. “Just... the food is great, as always,” she said with a smile.

“I had better pasta last week at Franco’s,” her sister considered. “Oh, did I tell you about the drama with the waitress there?”

She was off into another tale within a moment and this time Lucy made sure to pay full attention. Sure, it was nice to be distracted by her boyfriend, either literally or mentally, but now was Preston sisters bonding time and that was very important too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I now have a vague plan of where I'm going with this. (Emphasis on the word 'vague'... lol!)

Denise had to have noticed something. She was too smart to buy Garcia’s story that he was just that good an agent. Truthfully, he was pretty good, the boss wouldn’t keep him around if he wasn’t, but his relationship with Lucy Preston was far from all fake and his superior and friend had to have realised that. She hadn’t asked about it yet, but he was waiting for the day, knowing it couldn’t be far off.

Looking down at his cell, Garcia re-read the last conversation he had with Lucy via text, running his hand over his face and sighing. They had plans to meet up on Saturday, her idea, not his, which only proved how well he had her hooked. Of course, she wasn’t the only one that was more than a little caught up in their whirlwind romance.

Any chance of professionalism went out the window the first time they kissed. Actually, it might’ve been the first time she challenged him in a debate on history. He was such a sucker for a beautiful woman with brains who wasn’t afraid to argue her point. It was a miracle he had lasted a month before he fell into her bed, before realising just how doomed he really was.

A smile came to his lips unbidden as he scrolled through her messages. There was no way Lucy was part of the evil of Rittenhouse. Sure, she was tied to them by blood, but sometimes, he wondered if she even knew they existed. If she did, he had trouble believing she had any part in what they were trying to do, their whole regime for the world that they were bound and determined to impose, one way or another. Unfortunately, it wasn’t up to him to decide if she should remain under investigation. That was way above his pay grade.

“Arranging another date?” asked Denise as she came across him in the breakroom.

“Already arranged,” Garcia confirmed, pushing the phone into his pocket and putting his focus back on his coffee. “Spoiler for my next report, _she_ asked _me_ this time,” he said with a smirk.

Denise chuckled as she poured herself a coffee. “Well, as skilled an agent as you are, Flynn, we did also give you this assignment for other reasons. You’re kind of her type,” she said of Lucy, taking a drink from her mug and making a face. “Ugh, doesn’t anyone in this place know how to change a filter?”

“I guess not.” Garcia shook his head. “You really think all this is worth it?” he asked then, watching as Denise attacked the coffee machine with gusto.

“It’s this or run out to Starbucks. I don’t know about you but I do not have the time for that.”

Garcia rolled his eyes. “Not the coffee machine, this whole assignment. I’m pretty sure Lucy doesn’t know anything.”

“Well, when you get from ‘pretty sure’ to ‘absolutely sure’ then we’ll discuss it further,” Denise told him, never looking away from the task at hand as she worked on the coffee machine. “Then perhaps the assignment will be over, you’ll be a free man, and the worst Lucy Preston will have suffered will be dented pride when a guy she’s been seeing just stops calling,” she said, slamming the lid down and restarting the machine.

She looked over at Garcia then with a perfectly friendly smile on her lips and he returned the expression well enough, more sure than ever that Denise knew more than she was letting on. Still, he wasn’t about to tell her she was right, not for anything.

When she was gone from the break room, he pulled out his cell, reading the messages from Lucy all over again, torturing himself, like the fool he was. She had originally suggested they go out to dinner on Saturday night, but he managed to convince her that lunch would be better, maybe a picnic or something. Not only was it romantic and also a little more casual, it would afford him the chance to get away early, to not risk spending another night with her.

It was a tempting idea to give into, but Garcia knew it was a bad idea. Not only was he already in far too deep with a woman he could never have a future with, but he had somewhere too important to be on Sunday. There was no way in hell he would leave his Iris waiting, not for anyone or anything. She was and would always be the most important thing in his life.

Not that the love he felt for his daughter or the dedication to his job took away anything that he felt for Lucy. Garcia wished it was that simple, but it just couldn’t be. She was nothing like he expected her to be. He knew she was beautiful, having seen plenty of pictures long before he made his initial approach, and he knew she was smart, at least in the field of history, enough to get her tenure at Stanford anyway. After all the research, all the preparation, he thought he was ready. In that regard, Garcia Flynn really was a fool. Nobody was ready for a woman like Lucy Preston. No agent ever expected to go undercover and fall head-over-heels in love.

“Hey, someone finally changed the filter.”

Garcia looked up when he heard a voice, amazed to find another person had entered the room and poured themselves a coffee without him even noticing, especially since that person was Rufus. The guy was practically a genius, but he wasn’t altogether stealthy as a rule.

“You okay, Flynn?” he asked, staring bug-eyed at Garcia, “because you look weird.”

“Thank you,” he told his friend flatly. “I’m just... tired, I guess. Long day, you know how it is.”

“Tell me about it, man.” Rufus sighed. “I used to think working at Mason Industries was tough sometimes, but this place? _Super_ -intense.”

Garcia smiled at his expression but said nothing. Rufus was a good guy, a little big-headed sometimes when he was talking in his field of expertise, but he had a right to be proud of his skills. Not everybody could say they were part of the team that built a time machine. Garcia hadn’t been sure about having people from Connor Mason’s company involved in the project to bring down Rittenhouse, but Rufus was definitely an asset. What he didn’t know about engineering and computing really wasn’t worth knowing, and he was the kind of salt-of-the-earth honest that no bad guy could ever corrupt, Garcia was sure on that.

“So, how’re things with you and Princess Lucy?” he asked then. “You making headway?”

Garcia opened his mouth to answer Rufus’ question but then closed it again fast without a word spoken, his mind filling up with memories from a couple of nights ago. Oh, yes, he had made some headway, but that wasn’t exactly what his friend and colleague was asking about.

“The assignment is progressing as planned,” he said mechanically, draining his coffee cup.

“Dude, I don’t think I could do what you do.” Rufus shook his head. “I mean, it’s your job and all for the greater good and everything, I totally get it,” he clarified, “but dating a woman, getting to know her, being that close, knowing it’s all a lie? I just... couldn’t.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing it’s my job and not yours.”

Garcia got up from his seat and walked out, feeling bad for being snappy but unable to help it. The last thing he needed was to be reminded by anyone about how fake his relationship with Lucy really was, and that was two people in as many minutes. Heading back to his office, he heard his cell beep and pulled it from his pocket. Of course, it was Lucy, telling him she was looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.

It was going to be a long week.

* * *

It didn’t go according to the plan. So much for Garcia’s idea of a picnic in the park, a public place where he didn’t have to worry about getting carried away with Lucy. The weather put paid to his plans, the rain pouring down in nothing short of a biblical fashion, and of course he could think of no excuse when Lucy suggested they take the basket of food back to her place and eat there.

For as long as they were actually eating and talking about other things, it was easy enough to pretend that things were fine. Just a normal date between two people who liked each other very much. Lucy did seem to have a lot of questions about his family and even about his work all of a sudden, but Garcia could handle it well enough. The problem came later, when suddenly Lucy was a lot closer than before, smiling up at him in that way that was unmistakably yearning for something. He knew exactly what she wanted.

“Um, you think I could get another glass of water?” he asked, reaching past her for his empty tumbler.

“Oh, sure,” said Lucy, clearly surprised by the sudden request. “I’ll go get that,” she told him, slipping away to the kitchen.

Garcia thanked her, sitting forward on the couch and dropping his head into his hands the moment Lucy was gone. He had to get out of there. If he stayed in her apartment any longer, he was going to do something very stupid. Wonderfully, heart-poundingly, amazingly stupid, but still. He never should have let himself get in this deep, to lose control like this. One night in her bed had screwed with his head so much that he was still feeling the effects four days later. It was a very bad idea to go there again, and yet.

“Here you go,” she said, depositing the glass into his hand. “I’m sorry there’s no wine. I was sure I had a bottle.”

“That’s okay,” he assured her. “Since I’m driving anyway, probably best not to.”

Lucy nodded in understanding, gathering up wrappers and such for the trash while Garcia made a big deal of drinking the water she fetched for him. As he did so, his eyes caught on a piece of paper on the table and an idea hit him.

“This is where your sister works?” he said, showing the flyer to Lucy.

“Uh, yeah, that’s the place,” she agreed. “Big blood drive today. Yay,” she said flatly.

“I’m keeping you from supporting your sister’s charity venture.” Garcia shook his head. “You should have told me. You know, we could still go, if you wanted to? I have no problem giving blood, it’s a very worthy thing to do.”

“It is,” Lucy agreed as she continued to bag up trash, hardly looking at him.

“But you don’t want to go?” he checked. “Lucy?” Garcia reached for her arm and pulled her around to look at him. “Are you afraid of needles?” he checked, only mildly amused by the idea.

After all, he knew Lucy to be a very strong kind of woman, not afraid of anything really. He supposed there had to be something that bothered her and a lot of people were squeamish about that kind of thing.

“It’s not the needle,” she told him with a sigh. “It’s... it’s the actual blood,” she admitted. “I like it just fine when it’s in my body, keeping me alive and everything, but outside?” she said, shaking her head as a shudder ran through her.

“Wow. You’re not... I mean, I was starting to think you weren’t afraid of anything,” Garcia told her, biting his lip.

“Yes, well, everybody is afraid of something, and yes, I know being scared of the sight of blood is kind of pathetic, but there it is. I’m afraid, okay?” 

She was clearly embarrassed about it as she strode away from him, back to the kitchen. Garcia gave chase, standing in the doorway, watching her as she continued to tidy and clean, even though it wasn’t entirely necessary.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Lucy,” he told her. “It’s like you said, everybody is afraid of something.”

“I bet you’re not,” she muttered.

“Hey, come on,” Garcia moved to take a hold of her arms and turn her to him again. “Lucy, a fear or phobia is nothing to be ashamed of. I promise you, draga, there are plenty of things that bother me.”

“Name one,” she challenged him.

Garcia bit his lip. The first answer to come to mind, he was unwilling to share, since the answer was Lucy herself. The truth was she did scare him, or rather what he felt for her was what made him so afraid. She could be his undoing all too easily. He could lose everything if he let himself really fall and the worst of it was, Garcia almost wanted to give in regardless.

“I am afraid... that your sister will blame _me_ if you don’t show up to support her event,” he said with a smile. “So, why don’t we go along? I’ll make my donation to the cause and you can sit in the corner with your eyes closed the whole time if you’d like.”

He didn’t mean to smirk when he said it, but Lucy seemed to take it as some kind of challenge. She got that determined look in her eyes that was as alluring as it was magnificent.

“You know what?” she said, standing as tall as she could, which was still pretty short in front of Garcia. “Maybe I’ll donate too,” she said firmly. “I can keep my eyes closed just as well in a chair with a... a needle in my arm, right?” she said, visibly blanching even as she said the words and swallowing hard too.

Though he had no right to be, Garcia had never been more proud of her.

“Yes, draga,” he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “And don’t worry, if the worst should happen and you pass out, I promise to catch you.”

That earned him a kiss on the lips that took his breath away and a stunning smile as they parted.

“Okay then. Let’s go do this.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I still can’t believe he convinced you to come to a blood drive _and_ to actually donate,” said Amy, shaking her head. “Garcia Flynn has magical voodoo powers,” she insisted, bringing a cup of tea over to Lucy on the couch.

“You know, I think you might actually be right,” she admitted, thanking Amy for her drink. “Honestly, I still can’t believe I managed to donate blood without passing out, throwing up, or, you know, actually dying.”

“Drama queen.” Amy rolled her eyes.

“Hey, it was traumatising!” Lucy insisted. “I have a phobia.”

“I know, I know. Come on, I’m here with literal tea and sympathy,” her sister pointed out as she joined her on the couch, “and on a Sunday too. If that’s not gratitude, I don’t know what is.”

Lucy smiled, putting her tea down on the table to cool. It was kind of a miracle to have Amy even be out of bed at this time on a Sunday, never mind taking care of her like this. She really did appreciate it, but then it was also deserved in a way.

“Well, Garcia and I did push your numbers up enough to get you the $100 for your boots, right?”

“Very true.” Amy nodded. “Thank you again for that.”

“No problem,” said Lucy absently, eyes fixed on the mark still present on her arm.

A moment later, she was poking at it, checking for any signs of infection or erroneous bleeding or something. She just felt as if something had to go wrong. If it hadn’t happened at the actual time of giving the blood, maybe it would happen later.

“Leave it alone, Luce,” Amy advised, knocking Lucy’s hand away. “Your arm will not fall off, I promise.”

“It might,” Lucy countered childishly, poking out her tongue for good measure as she reached for her tea again and took a tentative sip, happy to find it was no longer hot enough to burn her tongue. “I guess it’s cool though. At least my donation will help somebody, especially since I have one of the rarer types of blood.”

Amy frowned at that. “No, you don’t,” she insisted, taking a long drink from her own mug.

“Yes, I do,” Lucy insisted. “The nurse said so.”

“She was probably being sarcastic. Type O is the most common blood type there is.”

Lucy swallowed quickly and then shook her head. “I’m not Type O. She told me I was AB.”

Amy’s frown only deepened. “What? How is that possible?” she asked, shaking her head. “I’m O. Mom and Dad were both O, I know that for sure. You cannot be AB,” she said definitely, laughing as she got up from the couch. “You must’ve been so freaked out that you heard wrong,” she insisted, walking her own now-empty mug back to the kitchen.

Lucy stared after her, feeling so confused. She didn’t know a great deal about blood groups, but she did know what she heard yesterday. It wasn’t as simple as her mishearing what the nurse said. AB sounded nothing like O anyway, but there was more. She had bothered to tell Lucy how good it was that someone like her was donating, because of the rarity and everything. She wouldn’t really have been aware otherwise.

Reaching for her laptop, Lucy jumped straight online and pulled up the search engine, looking for more information on blood groups. She soon found that Amy was right. If both parents were type O then any child they had was pretty much always O. There were anomalies sometimes, as there were with all things, but it was rare for two type O people to have an A type child and rarer still to have an AB child.

Lucy swallowed hard, feeling more nauseous now than she had when they were pumping the blood out of her arm yesterday. Sure, she could be one of those really rare specimens mentioned in the article she had been reading, but more likely was that her parents were not who she thought they were.

“Hey, so, I was thinking...” Amy stopped talking the moment she got back through the door and presumably saw how shaken Lucy looked. “Luce? What’s up? Oh my God, did you Google possible side effects after giving blood?” she checked, noting the computer open on the coffee table. “All those things are so rare, you don’t have to worry...”

“It’s not that.” Lucy shook her head. “Amy, you said Mom and Dad were both type O blood. How do you know that?”

Lucy watched her sister get that puzzled look on her face again but didn’t explain further. She needed to be sure before she dropped a bombshell like that.

“Mom’s blood type came up with all the other information when she was sick.” Amy shrugged. “You must’ve known too.”

“Maybe, sure, but what about Dad?” she pressed. “You can’t be sure about him, you were so young when he died.”

“I know, Lucy,” Amy insisted. “The reason I started giving blood in the first place was partly because of him. You remember that box of stuff Mom had of his? She let me look at it whenever I wanted to feel close, you know? There was a blood donor card in there, it had his blood type right on it.”

Lucy felt tears welling in her eyes and didn’t know how to keep them at bay. Amy looked so worried as she asked her what was wrong, but the world was distorting around Lucy and she hadn’t a way to tell her sister that she was okay. She wasn’t at all. Somehow, in some way or other, her whole life seemed to be a lie. One or both of her parents couldn’t really, biologically, be hers, which meant Amy wasn’t really her sister. Lucy fought the urge to pass out or throw up and felt she was losing both battles as Amy came to sit beside her and physically shook her back to reality.

“Lucy?” she said, making her meet her eyes. “What is going on?”

Lucy shook her head sadly, forcing out an answer. “I wish I knew.”

* * *

“Miss Adams at school says everyone who can give blood should do it,” said Iris flipping through the pages of her notebook. “It’s important and saves lives.”

“Miss Adams is quite right, mališa,” her father told her, smoothing her hair and smiling down at her. “You know I said almost the same thing to... my friend who came with me to donate,” he said carefully.

“Didn’t he want to go?” asked his eight-year-old daughter, turning pages yet, most of her attention on that task instead of Garcia.

“Uh, actually, my friend is a she, and no, she didn’t really want to go. Not because she didn’t want to help people, just because she isn’t comfortable with the sight of blood.”

Iris stopped flipping pages and looked thoughtful.

“I don’t really like blood either,” she announced suddenly, “but I wouldn’t be afraid if you were with me, Daddy,” she told him, smiling widely. “Did you hold your friend’s hand and tell her it’d be okay?”

“I did.” Garcia nodded, recalling it all a little too clearly.

He really hadn’t meant to tell Iris anything about Lucy. He would have if they were really dating, if it were possible for that relationship to lead anywhere good, but as it was, there seemed little point. Unfortunately, he had a bruise on his arm from the slightly inept young man that put the needle in his arm at the blood drive yesterday and the second Iris saw it, she wanted to know what was wrong. Garcia hated to lie to his little girl unless it was absolutely necessary for her safety and so he told the truth and that had led to Lucy, albeit not by name yet.

“If Madison or Clare get scared or sad about anything, I always hold their hand and tell them it’ll be okay. That’s what you do when you’re a good friend,” said Iris, suddenly triumphant as she found what she was looking for in her book and showing it to her father. “This one. Mommy said it’s the best drawing of a horse she ever saw.”

“Well,” said Garcia, taking a hold of the book and looking at the picture for himself, “I think it must be the best drawing of a horse I ever saw too,” he told Iris happily, though obviously it was only so good in his eyes because his little girl had drawn it. “You’re getting very good, mališa. Maybe one day you’ll be a great artist.”

“Maybe.” Iris shrugged, taking the book back and staring at the picture herself. “Or maybe I’ll be an actress or a waitress or a zookeeper or a princess or a doctor,” she said, sighing heavily then as she closed her book. “It’s so hard to choose.”

“You have plenty of time to decide, Iris,” Garcia promised her, kissing the top of her head. “For now, all you need to know is what flavour milkshake you want with your lunch.”

“That’s easy, chocolate!” she said with real enthusiasm.

“Because I didn’t see that coming.” Garcia rolled his eyes as he got up to go to the kitchen.

Iris was right on his heels, pulling herself up into one of the two chairs at the small table while her father got her milkshake and served up their meal. He was glad she no longer asked questions about his apartment or made difficulties about the fact he and Lorena had stopped living together. She had adjusted pretty well considering her young age, but then Iris had always been smart for a child, a little adult in a young body, in so many ways.

“What’s her name?” she asked suddenly.

“Whose name?” he checked, peering over his shoulder at her.

“Your friend who’s afraid of blood,” Iris confirmed, straightening the silverware and salt and pepper shakers on the table.

“Oh. Um, Lucy. Her name is Lucy,” he confessed, trying desperately to think of another topic to distract her before this conversation went too far. “How hungry are you, Iris, because I seem to have cooked a lot here?”

“Very hungry!” she told him with enthusiasm. “Your cooking is the best, Daddy.”

“Thank you,” he told her, putting a full plate down in front of her.

It occurred to him that maybe he should advise her not to say that in front of her mother in case she offended Lorena, but somehow, Garcia just knew Iris also said the same thing to his ex-wife as well. It wasn’t something he could blame her for, not at eight years old when the most important thing to Iris was keeping both her parents happy, as well as getting the biggest portions of her favourite foods as she could out of each of them.

“If that’s too much for you, you know you don’t have to eat it all,” he told her, sitting down on the opposite side of the table with his own plate. “Save room for ice-cream,” he advised with a wink.

Iris grinned so wide her face nearly split in two as she dug into her meal. Of course, after barely a minute, she was right back on the previous topic of her father’s new ‘friend.’

“What’s Lucy like?”

Garcia tried not to squirm but found he had to clear his throat before he could answer at all.

“She’s just a nice person that I know,” he said carefully. “We like to spend time together.”

“Is she pretty?” asked Iris innocently, glancing up from her plate.

“Not as pretty as you,” her father told her with a smile, though he ought to have known that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her, not his daughter.

“But is she pretty?” she tried again.

Since he doubted there was any harm in being honest about at least that, Garcia gave in.

“Yes, she is very pretty. She is also very kind and very clever. I like her very much. Are you happy now?” he said, with a smile. “Think you can eat the rest of your lunch without any more questions?”

“Uh-huh.” Iris grinned, going back to her food and tucking in with gusto.

Garcia shook his head and ate his own lunch. Iris was forever inquisitive, with boundless curiosity, which she doubtless got from him. After all, in his line of work, he had to be curious, had to want to dig deeper into the hows and whys to get to the truth. Just the thought of that last word made him squirm all over again.

As much as he tried to tell Iris the truth whenever he could, save for a few things that were just not appropriate to share with an eight-year-old, he couldn’t say the same for Lucy. Iris would make her his best friend but of course she was so much more than that to Garcia. Lucy Preston was far more than a mark or a friend or a job. She was supposed to be the enemy, at least, that was what they thought before, they being the agency he worked for, Denise Christopher and the rest. She had blood ties to Rittenhouse, that much was certain, but the more time that passed, the less Garcia Flynn could believe she was really a part of that evil organisation.

Of course, the thought occurred to him that it might all be wishful thinking at this point. It would suit him better to make Lucy innocent in his head, but the truth could be very different. It might just break him entirely if it was, but even if she did turn out to have no real part in Rittenhouse, proving her guiltless wouldn’t really help. Their relationship was built on lies, from Garcia’s side, at the very least, and that could never be undone.

“Daddy?” Iris’ voice cut through his deep thought and brought him back to reality in an instant. “Do I get to meet Lucy?” she asked, blinking at him from across the table.

Garcia opened his mouth to answer and the words came tumbling out before he could check them. “Perhaps, one day.”

Iris smiled brightly, stabbing at her next piece of food with her fork. “If she likes you, I think she’d like me too,” she said, looking thoughtful as she chewed.

“Yes, mališa.” Garcia smiled at her. “I’m sure that she would.”


	5. Chapter 5

Lucy wished she knew what she was doing. If she had questions about her family, there really was no-one to turn to but Amy, who wouldn’t have any more answers than she did. She had friends that might be sympathetic and helpful, but Lucy couldn’t bear to bring her fears to them. Instead, she found herself seeking out a man she had known just a little more than a month. Her boyfriend, she supposed, though they never really made that official. All she knew was, she needed someone to turn to, and her head and heart both told her there was no-one better than Garcia Flynn.

Unfortunately, it occurred to her a little too late that she knew neither his home address or exactly where he worked. Add that to the long list of things she should probably get around to asking him sometime, though Lucy wasn’t half so worried about Garcia’s situation right now as her own. Maybe it was a little foolish to be willing to share so much with a guy that wasn’t exactly sharing back, but actually, when she out and out asked him a question, he did always seem to give her a straight answer. It made her wonder if her own inquisitive nature just somehow failed where he was concerned, or maybe she was just so self-involved that she didn’t let him talk about himself enough.

“I’m a horrible person,” she said to herself, even as she listened to the line ring.

“Hello?” he answered while she was still muttering to herself. “Lucy?” he checked.

“Yes, it’s me,” she confirmed. “Um, I’m sorry, is this a bad time to call? I wasn’t really sure but I just-”

“It’s a fine time to call,” Garcia assured her. “Are you okay?”

The concern in his voice didn’t entirely surprise her, though it was a little incredible that he realised so quickly that she was upset. It made the tears in Lucy’s eyes double immediately to know he cared that much.

“I’m okay, sort of,” she said waving her hand in a pointless vague gesture that he couldn’t even see. “I was just wondering... I could use someone to talk to. You, specifically, were the person that I was hoping... Garcia, I don’t know what to do.”

She really hadn’t intended to cry, not on the phone, not like this. He probably thought she was in some real danger right now, or that maybe she was having some life-and-death crisis at the very least. It wasn’t as bad as all that, though it was a pretty big deal all told, realising that your parents couldn’t really be your parents after all.

“Where are you?” he asked, the background noise suggesting he was preparing to leave wherever he was the instant she gave her answer.

Lucy sighed with no small amount of relief. “I’m at home,” she admitted. “I’m so sorry to do this, I just-”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes, okay?”

“Okay.”

She didn’t have it in her to argue. She really needed someone and right now, Lucy could think of no-one better than Garcia Flynn. He couldn’t fix anything, she knew that, not really. If she was adopted or the result of an affair or something, it wasn’t as if he could change it, but having him there, somehow Lucy just knew it would make the pain and confusion easier to bear. He made everything easier, better, safer. She wasn’t sure how she had fallen so hard for him in so short an amount of time, but she really had, and she knew it now more than ever before.

* * *

Garcia didn’t know what to think when Lucy called and told him she needed him. He knew immediately that she was upset before her voice broke entirely in his ear, though he couldn’t imagine what had caused it. All Garcia knew was when he found out who the culprit was, the one who had made his darling Lucy cry, he would quite happily beat them into next Thursday for their crimes.

Driving over to her place, his hands gripped the steering wheel too tight. He shouldn’t be feeling this much about Lucy or anything to do with her, unless it involved the investigation at large. It occurred to him, almost half way from his home to her own, that the news that had so upset her could easily connect back to Rittenhouse.

She never talked about it, never once gave the impression she ever knew anything about the whole evil empire, though Garcia wasn’t so stupid as to think that meant she didn’t have a clue. People lied. All people, at some point or other in their lives, but it was the consummate liars that were more his business, and he hated to even consider the fact that Lucy was one of them, one of the people of the wrong side of the line, a real part of Rittenhouse.

“I guess I might be about to find out,” he muttered to himself, parking up outside her building.

Shutting off the engine, he took a moment to steel himself, to put on his game face, as it were. It didn’t matter what he was feeling, how mixed up and confused, he had to be the person Lucy was expecting, to play the part of the supportive boyfriend and never give away that he had a clue about her heritage. If she talked about it at all, if she spilled any secrets, he had to look surprised, intrigued, interested, not shocked or hurt by her confession, if she should make one.

“Be a damn professional already,” he told himself, glancing into the mirror. “Never used to be this tough,” he muttered, finally exiting the car.

Buzzing the door, he barely told Lucy, ‘It’s me,’ before she was letting him into the building. Up two floors in the elevator that arrived just when he reached it, Garcia was outside her apartment in no time and Lucy had the door open before he even had a chance to knock, ushering him inside and throwing her arms around him in a huge hug.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he told her, enveloping her in his embrace and letting her cry into his chest.

There was an ache in his heart as she silently soaked his shirt, keeping up her death-grip on his waist. To know she was suffering, it was the worst possible feeling. The only thing he could imagine making it worse was if he had caused the pain himself. One day, it were possible that he might be the source of Lucy’s tears, though he tried not to think about it most of the time. For today, at least, it was not his fault, and he had the chance to bring her some comfort.

“I’m so sorry,” she said when she finally pulled away, swiping at her eyes. “You must think I’m crazy.”

“Of course not,” he promised, the complete truth as he raised one gentle hand to her cheek and wiped away further tears with his thumb. “What’s wrong, draga?” he asked her then. “What can I do to help?”

She smiled a watery smile. “The fact you came here when I called helped a lot, and just holding me, that helps too,” she admitted, swallowing hard, “but there is something I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t really expect you to be able to fix anything, it’s... well, it’s not really a fixable thing, I just... I needed someone. I need to tell another person who’ll listen and...”

Her lip wobbled and it was clear she was fighting against another fit of sobs. Garcia watched Lucy gather herself again, rounding up her strength and pushing forward like the amazing woman that she was. She led him to the couch and they sat down together, him trying to remember to breathe and not look too much like he was waiting for imminent death, her trying so hard to be strong in the face of whatever was upsetting her.

“You remember the blood drive and how the nurse told me I was special? Not special,” she corrected, practically facepalming at her own choice of words. “That it mattered more that people like me donated because of my blood type?”

“I do.” Garcia nodded, unsure where she was going yet.

“Well, I was talking to Amy about that, about my being a rare group, and she laughed. She said I couldn’t be because we... me and Amy and our parents, we were all group O. She said that two type O parents pretty much always had type O kids and she’s right. Not that I really doubted her but...”

She pushed her open laptop across the coffee table, showing Garcia facts he well-knew already. He knew something about blood groups, it was one tiny piece of many that came in handy in his line of work, and yet he read what she wanted him to read, the truth that she could not logically be the product of the people she always looked to as her parents.

“I double-checked the information,” Lucy continued. “The medical records prove that something doesn’t add up.”

She handed Garcia pieces of paper and he took them into his hands, eyes widening slightly, not at the sheet bearing Carol Preston’s name, but rather at the other, the record that belonged to...

“Henry Wallace,” he said aloud, quickly catching himself and shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know your father’s name before.”

“Apparently, neither do I.” Lucy shook her head too, dislodging another tear that she quickly swiped away. “I mean, my mom has to be my mom, right? She named me Lucy _Preston_ , I just... It never occurred to me that Dad wasn’t... well, my dad.”

“That’s... understandable,” Garcia forced out, fighting to keep up his charade of not knowing the truth of Lucy’s parentage, especially since it now seemed certain that she did not know it for herself. “Why would anyone question that the people who raised them were their parents?” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I... I wish I knew what to say, Lucy.”

“It’s okay,” she assured him, shifting closer and encouraging his arm around her back. “I know you can’t fix it, I just wanted someone, _you_. I wanted you here, I just... wanted you,” she said, staring up at him.

It would have been so easy to kiss her, to do a great deal more than just kiss her in fact. She needed comfort, to know someone understood, to know she was cared for, loved even. Garcia could give her all of that, he wanted to, and yet he thought better of it. Right now, she was vulnerable, more so than she had ever been before in his company. Regardless what she might want him to do or what he really, really wanted to do himself, he had to be the decent person in all this, at least as far as his job allowed.

“I’m here, Lucy,” he told her, planting a kiss on her forehead rather than her lips and pulling her close into his chest as they leaned back against the couch cushions together. “If you need help looking into all this, or if you just need a sounding board, you know I’m here.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, her arm across his body, holding on tight as she curled into him. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

Garcia swallowed hard and closed his eyes a moment. He knew how relieved she was to have some support and comfort in all this. Honestly, he was pretty relieved himself. There was a chance that when he reported back that Lucy really had no idea about her true heritage, they would drop the investigation and then, somehow, maybe they could build a real relationship here. Of course, it would all be based on a lie and secrets he may never be able to share, but Garcia couldn’t care about that right now, not really. Priority one was making Lucy feel better, to let her know she was not alone and that he would be there for her, no matter what. It was all he could do, for now.

* * *

Lucy knew that her worries and concerns over her parents were not just going to magically disappear when she talked them out with someone, or even when Garcia gave her a hug and promised to help in any way he could. Still, she had to admit, he had eased her initial sadness and made her feel a whole lot better about the situation. She wasn’t really sure how he did it, but he did.

Honestly, a part of her had almost wanted to just drag him to her room and forget her problems for a while, even if she may eventually regret using him in such a way. (Based on past experience, she doubted she could regret it at all, but still). The way he handled the situation was probably for the best. He clearly didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was upset and that was completely honourable and only made her love him more.

As they sat there in comfortable silence for a while, Lucy replayed her own thoughts in her head and frowned a little. Did she love Garcia more? Did she love him at all? They never said those words and it seemed incredible and ridiculous at the same time that she could feel that way after a few short weeks, and yet, she called him when she had a crisis, she spent way more time thinking about him than anyone or anything else, and his arms around her were all the comfort she needed.

Maybe it was love, or maybe she was crazy. Lucy could quite believe both in this moment. Still, when Garcia softly asked her what she was going to do next, Lucy knew she had bigger things to focus on right now than their relationship. In this moment, she wasn’t even sure who she was, never mind who she and Garcia were together.

“You know, Lucy,” he said gently, “whatever happens, whatever you find out, it won’t change you. It won’t change how amazing and smart and beautiful you are,” he promised as his hand ran over her hair.

Lucy smiled in spite of everything and looked up at him. “You’re pretty amazing yourself, you know that, right?”

She wasn’t sure what to make of the look that seemed to pass over his face, but his smile definitely faded just a little before he leaned down and softly kissed her.

“If you say so, draga.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To think when I started this fic I thought it would be fun and laughs, at least for a while, before the truth came out and it got all angsty and serious. Oh, how things change. Drama, drama, drama, huh? Well, that is the Garcy way, am I right?
> 
> If you're still reading, I thank you. If you're leaving me comments, I thank you twice and proclaim that you are fab! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, peops. Let me know if at any point this stops being fun to read, okay?
> 
> I haven't written Denise much before so... yeah. Also, there's Jiya :)

“This conversation is over, Agent Flynn,” said Denise Christopher firmly, arms folded across her chest.

She was wearing that look that frightened most others who stood in front of her desk, daring to be even slightly defiant, but Garcia Flynn wasn’t like most people and he wasn’t backing down.

“Are you even listening to me?” he asked, shaking his head. “I’m telling you she has no idea about Rittenhouse. She doesn’t even know who her real father is! This Henry Wallace that raised her, up until a couple of days ago, he was the only man she had ever looked to as a dad. We had a long conversation about it, I asked about other men in her mother’s life, Cahill didn’t even come up as a maybe. Far as I can tell, she never heard of him at all!”

“As far as you can tell,” Denise echoed back. “I’m sorry, Flynn, but that’s not going to cut it,” she insisted. “Besides which, you’re just taking her word on all this. Lucy Preston may seem like a perfectly nice, normal young woman, but you and I both know the way the members of Rittenhouse are trained, brainwashed, conditioned. She could easily be lying about this whole situation.”

Garcia could feel the blood boiling up in his veins and fought to keep his composure. His hand slammed against the edge of the desk before he turned away, struggling in vain to breathe through the anger. He shouldn’t be mad at Denise for thinking the worst of Lucy. The whole point of this investigation was to get close to the heir apparent of Rittenhouse, glean what they could about the operation, maybe even see if they could turn her. Of course, they all assumed she knew everything there was to know, being the daughter of the late Carol Preston and the very much alive Benjamin Cahill, two of the highest-ranking generals the evil empire had ever had, but no. The closer Garcia got to Lucy, the more certain he was that she could never be entwined with such a group. She had either turned her back on them long ago or she never even knew of her own bloodline at all.

“We have agents on our own team who don’t act that well,” he said, turning back around to face Denise. “Her heart was broken when she found out Henry Wallace wasn’t her father. Nobody could put on that kind of performance if the feelings were not real, and if they could, I would still be able to tell. Come on, credit me with some skills in my own job.”

“I’m not questioning your judgement, Garcia,” she told him, softening a little in her stance and tone both. “And there is every chance that you’re right. Maybe Lucy really is just a perfectly nice young woman, with no idea of where she comes from or what her family connections are, but I cannot take the risk of making that assumption without hard evidence,” she said, back to her own special brand of firm and determined within a second. “Would you really ask me to potentially jeopardise not just our work here, but the work of all the agents on this project, and on top of that, the whole of this country and maybe the world?” she said, meeting his eyes. “You know as well as I do what is at stake here, what Rittenhouse is capable of already, and how much worse it could be if they ever achieved their goals.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Garcia grumbled, knowing he was fighting a losing battle, something he should’ve realised before the conversation ever started, and yet. “Exactly how much proof do you need of her innocence? What does she have to do to make you believe what _I_ already know?”

The look on Denise’s face almost suggested she wasn’t even sure what would ever be enough to convince her, or maybe just those above her. Still, she would give a response. Agent Christopher was never without an answer.

“We know that Cahill is aware of his daughter. Though she may not be aware of him as yet, we have to be cautious. That is my final word on this, Garcia, and I know that you understand as well as I do what is at stake, so you won’t argue with me anymore.”

It was a little too close to having a parent tell you to do something ‘because I said so’ but she was right, Garcia knew he did have to accept her word and say no more about it. With a single nod that was more a semi-polite goodbye than agreement to anything, he turned and left the room, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him.

Garcia never expected this assignment to be easy. Duping people was often necessary in his line of work and it usually didn’t bother him all that much when the men and women getting screwed were the bad guys, but this was different. Somehow, even before he met her, Garcia just knew that Lucy Preston couldn’t possibly be a part of this horrible mess. With every day that passed, every date they had, every conversation they shared, he became more and more convinced that he was right.

Of course, it took a lot more to convince Agent Denise Christopher and those above her of Lucy’s innocence, but Garcia was determined to get there in the end. If he could continue to fake ignorance on DNA tests and such to the woman he was falling in love with, he could probably do anything.

The frown on his face as he headed back to his office was impossible to shift, just thinking about how many lies he had to tell to Lucy of late. There was no way he could explain what he knew and how he knew it. It wasn’t even that he felt that he couldn’t tell Lucy how to find out for sure who her father was. Mostly it was biting his lip and not giving away that he knew the name and a great deal more about the very man in question.

Rounding the next corner with a little too much force, Garcia ploughed right into someone coming the other way, throwing the contents of the poor woman’s arms all over the floor.

She cursed in something other than English as she ducked down to retrieve all her papers and Garcia’s frown disappeared as he moved to assist.

“I’d apologise in the same language, but from what I know, Klingons don’t believe in sorry or surrender,” he said wearing a smirk he couldn’t help by now. “I am sorry, Jiya,” he added then, pushing the fallen paperwork back into her hands.

“No problem,” she assured him. “You looked very man-on-a-mission. I’m guessing you have important places to be and things to do?” she said as they both stood up again.

“Not really,” he confessed, hands stuffed in his pockets by now. “I just had a meeting with the boss lady,” he said, rolling her eyes then.

“Ah, yeah.” Jiya nodded. “I think Agent Christopher might be the only person in this place more stubborn than you,” she said, smirking a little.

Garcia’s eyes widened just a little at her remark, but he could see very well she was teasing him, at least partially. It was true enough that he did have a decent amount of mule-type qualities about him, where Lucy Preston was concerned more than any other time.

“Well, we all have to stand up to the boss sometimes, right?” he said with a knowing look. “Where exactly would you and Rufus be right now if you allowed Connor Mason to continue calling the shots?”

“I hate to think where we’d be... or _when_ we’d be,” she said with a shudder. “So much safer here,” she said, eyes flitting around the corridor of the office block their team called home.

“You might be even safer in a normal desk job. You know, in a place not full of agents, spies, and secrets?” Garcia noted, knowing already what her response would be.

“Now where would the fun be in that?” said Jiya grinning as she walked by him, going merrily on her way.

It was hard not to get caught by her infectious smile, but it didn’t take much thought about his previous conversation with Denise to bring the frown right back to his face.

Garcia did slam the door to his own office before throwing himself into his chair and putting a hand to his head. Memories of Lucy’s tear-stained face and the shake in her voice as she talked about the lies already told to her made him feel both angry and nauseous. Imagining how much worse it could get yet was too much to consider, though it haunted Garcia all of the time. The problem remained that it was all too late now. Even if he wanted to tell Lucy the truth, he couldn’t. Not only would it ruin the investigation and Agent Christopher would have his ass in a sling for insubordination, but he was bound to lose Lucy either way, especially at this delicate stage.

She was just so hurt, so close to breaking, knowing now that the man she had called Dad was likely not her father at all. Garcia could only comfort himself with the fact that when she did find out the whole truth, about Cahill and what he was, surely, she would be disgusted and turn her back. The moment that happened, the investigation would be over and that would be something to be grateful for. Still, it didn’t help much right now. There was a long way to go before things were going to get better.

* * *

“You want us to take a DNA test?” Amy asked, laughter in her voice that hurt Lucy more than it probably should. “Oh, Luce, come on, you’re not serious.”

“I’m perfectly serious. Deadly serious,” she said, clearing her throat. “Amy, I know how this sounds, believe me, I do, but... but something isn’t right here. I know you thought I got it wrong when it came to the blood group thing, but I didn’t. I know what I heard, I know something is wrong. I hate saying this, believe me, I really do, but there’s a good chance... there’s a good chance that Dad wasn’t actually my father.”

It really did hurt to have to say it and it clearly bothered Amy to have to hear it too, but the facts were the facts and as such there was no changing them. The chances of Lucy’s parents, the ones who raised her, actually both being her biological kin was practically zero and she needed to prove it once and for all, for the sake of her sanity.

“So, Mom was... what? Unfaithful?”

“Maybe.” Lucy shrugged. “Or maybe she was with someone else before she and Dad got serious?”

She realised belatedly she was still saying ‘Dad’ when referring to Henry Wallace, despite the very nature of the conversation they were having. Lucy couldn’t help it. Though another man might be her father by blood, Dad would always be the one who raised her. She couldn’t imagine calling anyone else by the name.

“This is just... It’s a lot.” Amy shook her head. “If you really are... I mean, why wouldn’t she just tell us, or at least you?”

“I don’t know,” Lucy admitted. “I guess there’s a chance that she thought Dad really was my father, or she wanted him to believe it? Maybe he knew and they just decided not to tell me. There are around a hundred possibilities in my head right now and at some point, I hope we can find the whole truth, but to start, it has to be a test, and since you’re the only person close to me that’s still around...”

“Except maybe there’s some other guy out there who’s your father,” said Amy, wide-eyed and bemused still apparently.

“Maybe,” Lucy agreed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I didn’t know how,” she said, looking down at the table and drawing pointless circles in the condensation left by her glass. “When I realised... it was too much. First, I wanted to be alone and then when I wanted someone to talk to, it had to be someone not involved. You understand, right?”

“Sure,” Amy agreed. “You call the boyfriend?” she checked.

Lucy bit her lip and nodded. “Garcia was so great, really supportive and he didn’t get all weird about the crying and everything. I mean, you know some guys would just run for the hills.”

“He’s a good guy.” Amy smiled slightly. “You wouldn’t be dating him if he wasn’t.”

“Hmm, my track record says otherwise.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “But yes, he is a good guy, the best guy, as far as I can tell,” she said with a sigh. “I just hope I haven’t scared him off with all my drama and tears.”

“No way. He’s big enough to take it, from what I heard anyway,” Amy said with a look.

Lucy smacked her playfully in the arm. “Do _not_ go there.”

“Hey, it made you smile, it was worth it,” her sister told her, reaching to cover Lucy’s hand with her own then. “You know, whatever happens, I love you, okay? You’re my sister, no matter what our DNA says. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

A real genuine smile spread across Lucy’s lips even as one more tear streaked down her cheek.

“I would never, _ever_ want to get rid of you,” she promised Amy, meaning it truly. “I only wish there were more people in my life I could rely on as much as you.”

“Well, at least you have me, and the incredibly strong and stable boyfriend.” Amy grinned. “We’ll get through this.”

“Yes, we will,” Lucy agreed, nodding firmly, feeling better already.

As Amy said, she had her sister and her boyfriend to lean on, come what may. Between them, they could be quite the team. With the two of them by her side, Lucy was sure she had nothing at all to be afraid of.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in updating. On the upside, this chapter ran longer than expected.

It had a been a painful few days in which Garcia Flynn was torn between wanting to be in touch with Lucy all the time to check she was doing okay, and needing to stay away in order to keep his own sanity. Never had he been so tempted to tell her everything than he was right now, but Garcia knew Denise was right, there was so much at stake. He could not screw up this mission, he could not jeopardise the whole investigation into Rittenhouse’s connections, not when they were making so much good progress in dismantling the whole evil empire.

Though he hadn’t actually seen Lucy since the day she told him everything she knew so far about her parents potentially not being biologically linked to her, the two of them had been texting off-and-on. He checked in with her at least once each day and then they would go back and forth on more neutral topics, if she had the time. If her replies had smiling emojis attached before they parted ways until the next time, Garcia marked it down as a win. Today was not a failure.

Garcia: How are you doing today?

Lucy: Better. I think. Waiting on the results is weird. I want to know but I don’t want to know.

Garcia: I wish I could make it easier.

Lucy: Your existence makes it easier.  
Lucy: Sorry. Too cheesy?

Garcia: Just cheesy enough.

Lucy: lol  
Lucy: So, how’s work? I’m guessing, not busy?

Garcia: About the same as ever.  
Garcia: You?

Lucy: Mostly average. I did see an interesting poster on campus though.

The next message showed a picture of that poster that Garcia had to enlarge to read. It seemed there was going to be a showing of _It Happened One Night_ as part of the Film Night in the Park event this Friday. He happened to know that particular movie was one of Lucy’s favourites.

Garcia: That does look interesting. Are you going?

Lucy: I was thinking about it.  
Lucy: Are you busy this Friday night?

Garcia: Dr Preston, are you asking me on another date?  
Garcia: Because if you are, I’m definitely saying yes.

That was when the smiling emojis came. A row of five of them in fact, before she told him she really had to go but was already so looking forward to their date, which they would confirm the details of later. Garcia re-read the messages now, running a hand over his face. He was looking forward to Friday too, in a small way because of the event, and in a large way because of Lucy. At the same time, he was dreading the whole thing. He was dreading filing the report that detailed the fact he was even going on the date, and worse, he hated the idea of putting down everything that happened in yet another document when he returned to the office on Monday.

“I always knew this job would be the death of me,” he muttered, tossing his cell on the desk. “I just assumed it’d be a bullet or a bomb, not a woman.”

* * *

Lucy had always felt strangely comfortable around Garcia Flynn. It was so weird because usually she was a little wary of strangers, especially random guys she literally ran into in the street. People were not always what they seemed, men that complimented you were not always as decent as they appeared. Garcia just had one of those faces, one of those smiles, eyes a person could get lost in. It was so cliché and pathetic, but Lucy actually thought she understood all that love at first sight stuff when she met him. He was just everything she could hope for a boyfriend to be and, miracle of miracles, he seemed to be as eager to be around her as she was to be around him.

Truthfully, she had half an idea that after their first night together, things would change. Though she didn’t even want to think it of him, he wouldn’t be the first guy to get what he wanted and leave. Lucy also knew she was probably a fool for not waiting for him to ask her out after that, instead opting to ask him, but he seemed to like her even more for being forward, if that were possible. Sure, on that particular date - the picnic that was rained off - he did seem a little off somehow. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there, Lucy was fairly certain on that, but he was acting a little strange, or so she thought. Honestly, she second-guessed herself so many times that day, she actually made herself dizzy. Of course, it was tough to deny Garcia’s commitment to their relationship when he was willing to have an armful of blood removed just to keep Lucy in her sister’s good books.

If she had been wondering about how much he cared then, there was no way that Lucy could doubt him now, not for a second. She had literally cried all over him when she explained her worries about her true parentage, but he didn’t run, didn’t back off, didn’t even flinch. At the time, he held her in his arms, comforted her and promised her any help she asked for. Since then, he had been there to talk, mostly by text, but still, and each day he seemed to find a way to make her smile.

There had been no real plan to make another date with him, though Lucy was aware that he might not be asking her because he thought she might be too caught up with DNA tests and family drama to want to accept. Showing Garcia the flyer about the movie showing in the park, she knew very well it would be his kind of thing. It made it easier to ask if he wanted to go with her, and now, on a cool Friday evening, they were sat together on a blanket, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder and his arm around her back as they watched the movie together.

If she needed a way to remove all the muddled and painful thoughts from her head, Lucy had it here, but it was so much more than that. Garcia’s company was more than a distraction or a calming influence, it was something she craved, almost like an addiction. She couldn’t think for a moment it would be any different if she was in a generally happier frame of mind.

“What?” he asked softly, looking down at her.

Lucy hadn’t realised her attention had shifted so obviously from the movie to his face until he questioned it. Thankfully, the darkening surroundings hid her blush of embarrassment at being caught.

“I was just thinking... I’m really glad we came here,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Me too,” he told her, nodding slightly, looking just a little confused when she continued to stare at him. “Lucy?”

“Thank you, Garcia,” she told him. “You’ve really... I don’t know how well I’d be dealing with everything lately if it wasn’t for you.”

“You’re stronger than you think, draga,” he assured her, squeezing her to him. “But I am happy to know I have been of help, in some small way.”

“In some _big_ way,” she insisted, shifting closer. “You do know what that means to me, right? What _you_ mean to me?” she said, the moment before their lips met in a sweet but meaningful kiss.

It wasn’t quite ‘I love you’, not in words, though the actions might just have conveyed something along those lines. Lucy hoped she didn’t seem only grateful, though she was. She needed Garcia to know how much his support meant to her, but equally as much, just how deeply she had come to care for him.

Pulling back from their kiss, she watched him lick his lips, eyes slowly reopening. She wasn’t sure what to make of the look on his face, almost as if he was unsure of himself, which was so strange. Lucy never thought of Garcia as being nervous or uncertain. He was just so strong and confident all of the time, though she was sure she couldn’t love him any less for being otherwise. She only hoped she hadn’t scared him off with her talk of deep feelings, though she doubted that was it. After all, if he hadn’t run from all the tears and drama of the past few days, she couldn’t imagine this being enough to cause him to bolt.

“Good thing we’ve both seen this movie before,” he said then, smiling slightly as he nodded towards the screen that now showed the ending credits. “I guess we should be heading back. It’s late.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Lucy agreed, though she wished she didn’t have to.

She was so warm and comfortable curled up against Garcia in the dark. Of course, the thought occurred that the night didn’t have to end when the movie did. Getting to her feet, she staggered just a little and Garcia reached to steady her. Lucy frowned slightly, glancing down at the wrappers and such from their picnic-style dinner. The empty bottle seemed to stare back at her.

“Um, you were drinking the wine too, right?” she checked.

“I had one glass,” Garcia told her, picking up the bottle and shaking it slightly, confirming it was in fact completely empty. “Ah. I hope you don’t have a problem with me driving your car?” he said pointedly, smirking just slightly, presumably out of amusement at Lucy’s embarrassment.

“I just... I wasn’t counting.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, pulling her closer and kissing her temple. “You needed to relax tonight, take your mind off things. If a little wine helped the process along, no harm done.”

He really was the most understanding guy and as she watched him gather their things together and then extend his hand to take a hold of hers and walk her back to the car, Lucy was dazzled all over again by how truly handsome and entirely sexy he was. That on top of the fact he seemed quite willing to take care of her, support her, and tell her how great she was whenever she needed him to, Lucy could not imagine a more perfect boyfriend than Garcia Flynn. Of course, that was when the little voice started up in the back of her mind, reminding her that no person, no situation, no relationship was ever perfect. This was the part where things went wrong.

“You feeling okay?” he asked, glancing at her as he drove them towards her place.

Lucy realised her concern must have been showing on her face and adjusted accordingly.

“I just... the wine, I guess,” she said, her hand briefly at the side of her head. “I’m a little fuzzy around the edges, that’s all.”

Hitting the button to lower the passenger side window a little, Lucy got herself some fresh air and tried not to think about all the awful ways her relationship with Garcia could go wrong. Maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe everything would just work out. After all, with her whole family situation going to crap and her struggles to get tenure at the university, one part of her life had to be on the up-and-up. It was a little strange for it to be the romance department for a change, but Lucy was perfectly okay with it. More than okay with it, she thought, as she shifted in her seat and watched Garcia driving for a while, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to some half-decent power ballad on the radio.

“Lucy,” he said after a while, clearly trying not to smile. “You’re developing this strange staring habit lately.”

“Guilty as charged,” she told him, giggling in spite of herself and blaming the wine, though somehow, she doubted that was really the cause. “When you find a view this good, you don’t waste it.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, nodding his head. “So, you’re dating me purely for my looks, is that it? I think I feel a little dirty.”

“Only a little?” she asked, grinning so much her face ached, and laughing much harder than before when he glanced at her with such a scandalised expression.

A moment later, he was pulling the car up to the kerb outside her building and putting it in park. Lucy looked up towards her apartment window and sighed.

“It’s a long walk from here to your place,” she noted, turning to look at him again. “This late, in the dark...” she said worriedly.

“I can call a cab if it would make you feel better,” he said, visibly touched by her concern. “Now, come on, a gentleman walks a lady to her door, even if she hasn’t been acting much like a lady since she got in this car,” he said, picking up her hand and kissing it.

Lucy laughed all over again and couldn’t seem to stop, especially when Garcia tried to assist her out of the car and she all but fell on her butt onto the pavement. Thankfully, he knew she wasn’t really as drunk as she might seem. Lucy was a klutz, always had been, probably always would be. After six weeks together, Garcia was well aware of that and made jokes about it all too easily as they headed up to the second floor.

“You know you’re a danger to yourself, right?”

“You’re not the first one to say it,” she said, smiling wryly. “Dad always said-”

She stopped abruptly when she realised what she had said, her hand covering her mouth as the most ridiculous combination of a sob and a burst of laughter bubbled inside her. Seriously, the last week had been full of so many mixed emotions, it was really no wonder Lucy felt overwhelmed.

Out of the elevator, she moved quickly to her door, back clattering against it as she leaned there and let the moment pass. Garcia looked as if he was feeling her pain as he came closer, pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back. She wasn’t sure what he said as he tried to comfort her, she actually wondered if it was even English, but it didn’t matter. It sounded sweet and kind, just like he was.

“I’m fine,” she said a moment later, tilting her head back to gaze up at him. “I promise, I am. Honestly, I feel... more than fine. Even though everything’s so mixed up right now, somehow, when I’m with you I just... I know who I am. Does that make sense?”

Garcia slowly nodded and then leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. “For the record, whoever you do turn out to be, Lucy, it will never change how I feel about you.”

She didn’t need to ask what those feelings were, it was laced into the words he already said, evident enough in the depths of his gaze that bored right into her. The intensity of the way he looked at her sometimes felt like it could burn a hole right through her and Lucy almost believed she would willingly give herself over to the fire.

Without caring whether it was a wise decision, Lucy pushed up on her toes, arms wrapping around Garcia’s neck as she kissed him long and hard on the lips. At first, he seemed momentarily stunned, but was soon falling into the moment she had started.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been here before, Lucy thought, and a whole lot further too. After that night, she really had thought their next date would end much the same way, especially since they had been right there in her apartment, lazing on the couch together. Garcia hadn’t seemed so willing then, but was showing less restraint now, until her fingers started working on the buttons of his shirt.

“Lucy,” he gasped, back up fast, looking as dizzy as she felt herself. “I don’t...”

“Please, Garcia,” she urged him, shaking her head slightly. “I know what you’re thinking, but believe me, it takes more than a bottle of wine for me to not know what I want.”

She was killing him. Honestly, Garcia Flynn had endured physical torture at the hands of his enemies that hurt less than trying to walk away from Lucy Preston. She was so damn tempting and so entirely willing in this moment. It didn’t help that he knew just exactly how good it could be between them, having experienced it first-hand a couple of weeks ago. He had dreamed of that night so many times since, though he had promised himself to try not to go there again. He could make a hundred excuses tonight, but none of them would mean a damn thing. Lucy was right, he could see she wasn’t really so affected by the wine, and she certainly wasn’t giving up easily.

Shifting closer, she popped open another button on his shirt, planting kisses on his chest until he shivered, a string of Croatian curses escaping his lips. His eyes opened to see her looking up at him, trying to appear innocent, failing miserably.

“I can stop, if you really want me to,” she said, licking her lips.

Garcia did not have words to respond to that. His arms went completely around her, picking her up from the floor in one swift movement as his lips crashed against Lucy’s owns. Her legs wrapped around his waist as if they were designed to fit there as their kiss went on and on. 

He wasn’t sure how they got the door open and tumbled inside, though Garcia made sure he closed that door securely behind them before carrying Lucy to her bedroom, and falling headlong into the abyss.


	8. Chapter 8

For the second time in his life, Garcia Flynn woke up in Lucy Preston’s bed and wondered how he could be so stupid. Of course, as he looked over at her, sleeping peacefully beside him, he knew exactly how and why. He loved her. He was so ridiculously, pathetically, head-over-heels in love with her that she would absolutely be his undoing, and he wasn’t even sure he cared anymore.

Of course, what Garcia did care about was Lucy herself and how much she was bound to be hurt when each hidden truth was revealed to her over time. That thought brought a deep frown to his face, though he tried to push it away when he noticed her stirring beside him.

“Good morning,” he said as her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him.

It took only a moment before a slow smile spread across her lips.

“Hmm, so that wasn’t a dream.”

“No, it was not,” he confirmed, leaning over to capture her mouth, unable to bear the temptation anymore.

Her arms came up around his neck, keeping him close even when he tried to pull away. It was evident she wanted so much more than a kiss and Garcia knew damn well he would be a fool to deny her, especially when it was what he wanted too. They were on borrowed time, he knew that well enough, even if Lucy could have no idea. When he made love with her again, he tried not to think about the fact it could be the last time. That one day she probably wouldn’t even want to be in the same room with him, much less encouraging him to be just as close as possible.

A while later, their passion sated once again, Garcia held Lucy close in his arms, unsure if he should be concerned by the fact she seemed to be laughing.

“If you found any of that funny, then I am officially offended,” he told her, smirking slightly, pretty sure that she wasn’t about to tell him anything too awful

Quite honestly, it was a pleasure to see her so close to happy tears rather than sad ones. She had shed far too many for terrible reasons already in the past few days.

“I’m sorry, it’s nothing like that, I promise,” she said definitely, propping herself up on an elbow and meeting his eyes. “I just keep thinking how crazy this is. You know, you and me, here, like this,” she said gesturing vaguely to the tangled sheets and their general state of nakedness apparently. “You know, it’s not exactly as if I was some terrified virgin when we met or anything, but I’ve never... I’m not this person, if that makes sense?”

She didn’t look as if she believed anyone could understand what she was trying to say, but the truth was, Garcia absolutely did. He knew because he felt much the same. Okay, so it was his job to go undercover on missions, but never like this, never getting in this deep with a woman on a romantic level. He was in over his head to such a degree, he completely understood what Lucy was trying to say, in ways she could never know and that he wouldn’t dare to explain right now, if ever.

“It makes more sense than you know,” he told her honestly. “You know, I’m not exactly this person either,” he said, wincing on the inside at just how very true that was. “I, uh... You know that I was married once, and apart from that... well, like you, I suppose. I wasn’t exactly a monk after my divorce but...”

“This is different,” she said with a smile. “You and me, it’s... special, right?”

Garcia nodded. “I would say so.”

It pleased her to hear it, that much was clear, and it pleased him to say it too, because that much at least was true. His hand was in her hair and she leaned into his touch, moving closer to kiss his lips before settling down with her head on his chest and sighing contentedly.

“You know, I was thinking,” she said after a while, “I don’t really have any plans this weekend. If you didn’t either, there’s no real reason why you couldn’t just stay here.”

Garcia opened his mouth to answer her but closed it again before any words actually came out. Plans for the weekend, he always had those. Sunday was permanently put aside for one person, and as much as he loved her, it was not Lucy. There was no way he could shove Iris aside for his work, not even to spend another day here like this with Lucy. Tempting as she was, she could never make him forget what his daughter meant to him, not ever.

“Garcia?” Lucy shifted to look up at him, concern evident in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be pushy. You don’t have to stay.”

“It’s not that I’m not tempted, draga,” he promised. “It is a wonderful idea and if circumstances allowed...”

She looked confused and a little hurt by what he was saying, or perhaps more by what he wasn’t. Garcia had a perfectly legitimate reason for turning her down and he ought to give it to her, and yet he had always thought it was a terrible idea before. It was bad enough that he was mixing business with pleasure by falling for the mark. To drag Iris into this situation, even by name and knowledge of her existence being shared, Garcia was in two minds about it even now.

“Um, yeah. I should probably get up anyway,” said Lucy then, clearly stung by the rejection without a proper reason.

She was out of his arms in a second, sat on the edge of the bed and ready to bolt. Though he knew she wouldn’t go far, not in her own apartment, Garcia couldn’t bear to know he had hurt her at all. Telling her any part of the truth about himself was never going to be easy, it was admitting to lie by omission at the very least, but perhaps it was the lesser of two evils.

“Lucy,” he said, moving across the bed after her and reaching out a hand to her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he told her back since she seemed to refuse to turn around. “I... There is something I should tell you. Something I should have told you before, actually. God knows, you’ve had enough lies told to you in your life, I hate knowing I’m adding to that burden.”

Those words got her attention at last and she turned to peer at him, a frown creasing her brow. He had admitted to telling her lies and to the fact he hated to do it. That was probably a weird kind of progress, though of course, there was no way to tell her everything, not yet.

“Please tell me you’re not still married,” she said desperately. “Please, Garcia, I couldn’t bear the idea that-”

“I’m not,” he promised, daring to move closer. “Lucy, we talked about this. Just a moment ago, I said it again. I am divorced, that’s the truth.”

She nodded that she believed him, then swallowed visibly hard. “Okay, so, not still married. Then what’s the big secret?”

The big secret. She just had to put it that way. If only she knew how many secrets and lies there really were between them. Garcia took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I... I have a daughter,” he confessed at last, then waited for Lucy to react.

* * *

Lucy wasn’t exactly sure what she expected Garcia to say when she challenged him to tell her the truth. It had occurred to her a few times that he seemed to be hiding things through the whole course of their relationship so far, though when she questioned him, he always had answers aplenty. She trusted him more on instinct than facts, and somehow, that seemed to matter more. When he said he couldn’t stay over but didn’t have an immediate excuse, she wondered at it. What man refused a weekend in bed with a woman he supposedly cared for, that he had more than proven his attraction to already, unless he had a better offer? It seemed maybe he did have a better reason than even another girlfriend or lover.

“You have a... a daughter?” she checked, blinking hard. “Um, how is that...? No, I know how it’s possible,” she realised aloud, pushing her hair back as her brain ran away from her at a mile a minute. “How did I not know this?” she asked instead.

Garcia sighed. “I just... Some women don’t react well to knowing the guy they’re dating is a father,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay.” Lucy nodded that she understood that much at least. “That’s why you didn’t tell me on the first date or the first couple of dates, but it’s been a while, Garcia. Weeks, more than a month. We’ve talked about so many things, we’ve... well, hello, naked in my bed right now,” she said pointedly, wishing she hadn’t a second later since she was currently feeling very stupid somehow. “God, I thought we were so close, connected.”

“Lucy, we are,” the promised her, his hands at her shoulders. “It’s not that I didn’t want you to know about her, it’s just that... I don’t know, I never had a woman in my life like you. I never felt this way about anyone, not even Lorena. I didn’t know how... how these different parts of my life are supposed to fit together.”

Lucy’s eyes closed as she took in what he was saying. Poor Garcia, he sounded so desperate, so overcome with it all. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t understand those feelings. There had been enough going on in Lucy’s own life lately that she couldn’t quantify, couldn’t make fit. Was it really so wrong to expect Garcia to have all the answers, to be any more in control of his own relationships and life circumstances than she was?

“Lucy, please,” he urged her. “I didn’t mean to-”

“I know,” she cut in, turning into his embrace. “It’s okay, I get it,” she assured him then. “This is... it’s all kind of undefined with us and it’s happened so fast. I’m sorry, I was just so stunned when you said it. I’m not sure what I expected but ‘daughter’ wasn’t it,” she said, smiling slightly. “Could’ve been worse, I guess.”

“Don’t be sorry, draga,” he told her, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I should’ve told you before. I don’t even know why I didn’t. The truth is, I see Iris once a week, every Sunday. It’s why I can’t stay here all weekend long. She is my reason.”

Lucy smiled as she looked at him, her hand coming up to his cheek. “I bet you’re an amazing father,” she said definitely.

Garcia turned his head to kiss her palm. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he admitted, “but I appreciate the compliment.”

When he opened his arms to her, Lucy went back willingly into his embrace. They laid down together again, but she just couldn’t feel quite as at ease as she had before the news of Garcia’s parenthood had been imparted. He had a daughter, to go along with the ex-wife that she had just assumed was long gone from the picture. There was no way the mysterious Lorena was too far away if Iris was in Garcia’s life every Sunday, without fail.

“Tell me about her,” she said, absently making patterns on his chest with her finger. “About Iris,” she said pointedly, refusing to even consider asking more about Lorena.

“Well, she is almost seven years old,” Garcia explained. “Beautiful, precocious, inquisitive, intelligent, and... I already know that she would love to meet you.”

Lucy picked her head up off his chest and stared wide-eyed at Garcia.

“Yes,” he said before she could ask the question, “she knows about you. I know that seems unfair when you had no idea she even existed, but... well, I mentioned you once, in passing, after the blood drive. As soon as she realised the friend I was referring to was female there was no stopping her questions. I probably should’ve put inquisitive first on the list of her qualities,” he said with a smile that was equal parts proud and amused.

It occurred to Lucy that was probably a parental thing, that look reserved only for your own kids. Not that she knew from experience of having any children of her own, but Lucy had seen that look before, on her father’s face. Not that Henry Wallace was really her father. She shook those thoughts out of her head, knowing letting them stay would lead to no good right now.

“So, what did you tell her about me?” she asked of Iris then. “I’m guessing not that we’re dating.”

“Uh, no,” Garcia confessed. “She thinks you’re my friend, but everything else I told her was the whole truth. I believe I told her you were very pretty and kind and smart. That was when she said something about wanting to meet you some day.”

Lucy wasn’t sure whether he was telling her that because he wanted her to say she felt the same or not. Probably not, since he hadn’t even confessed the little girl existed until he pretty much had to. Still, Lucy wasn’t entirely certain whether she wanted to meet Iris or not, at least, not yet.

“I don’t have to,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, if you’d rather not... Not that I would hate it, I just... I never dated a guy with a child before.”

Garcia smirked at that. “She’s not something to be afraid of, Lucy,” he promised, leaning down to kiss her lips. “But I am glad I told you about her. I should’ve done it much sooner, I know that.”

Lucy didn’t argue with him, after all, she would rather have had the truth before now, but no harm had really been done, she supposed. It was certainly a surprise, but she now had one more piece of information about him that she never had before. That was a positive.

Lucy recalled then why Iris had even come into the conversation in the first place and decided she would much rather focus on that for now.

“So, Sunday,” she said, looking up at Garcia. “You’re seeing Iris tomorrow, but today...?”

A slow smile spread across his lips as he pulled her closer. “Today, my schedule is wide open, Ms Preston.”

“Really, Mr Flynn?” she said, smirking at him. “Well, let’s see what we can do about that...”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish this fic were lighter right now, given the current state of the world, but it's not so much, sorry about that :/

“I need to borrow your shirt.”

Lucy shook her head slightly as her sister barrelled past her into the apartment. “And good morning to you too,” she said, closing the door.

“Right, morning, whatever. I really need to borrow your shirt!”

“Yeah, I got that part,” said Lucy, following Amy to the bedroom and finding her already half inside the closet, pushing each shirt across the rail in an attempt to find the one she wanted. “Not that I mind lending you my clothes, but I am curious as to which shirt and why at this time on a Monday morning? I didn’t even know you knew how to be up this early,” she noted, pushing her hair back from her face.

“I can be early,” Amy insisted, still searching. “I just don’t love doing it. Anyway, it’s that nerdy shirt that I need to borrow. You know, with the history quote on it and the books?”

There was a frown on Lucy’s face as she came over to the closet and pulled Amy away from her clothes.

“Okay, first, you’re not going to find that shirt in there,” she said, shaking her head. “I wore it a couple of days ago, it got dirty, and it’s been languishing in the laundry hamper since then. Second, even if it were available for you to borrow, why would you want to? To use your words, you’re not exactly the history nerd type.”

“ _I_ know that and _you_ know that.” Amy rolled her eyes. “But Austin? He does not know that.”

“There’s an Austin now?” Lucy asked with a smile. “Where’d you find him?”

“Does it matter?” Amy rolled her eyes. “He’s just this guy, this really sexy guy who I met and who, despite being perfect for me in every other way imaginable, also kind of likes books and old stuff,” she said, making a face. “That part I don’t get, but hey, it’s not a deal breaker. You like that stuff and I still love you,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Wow, I feel special,” Lucy deadpanned. “Maybe instead of stealing my clothes to impress this guy you could just, you know, act interested when he talks about what he’s into,” she suggested. “Better yet, actually _be_ interested.”

“I guess.” Amy sighed, like it was such a big deal. “Hey, shouldn’t you be heading to work?”

“My class got cancelled this morning, so I’m going in later,” said Lucy, waving away her question. “Too many people out with the stomach flu. It is not pretty.”

“Eew.” Amy wrinkled her nose. “Okay, so, since I’m here, what’s for breakfast?”

Lucy laughed at her gall but nevertheless headed for the kitchen without pause.

“I have coffee, and I guess I could make eggs, if you want?” she suggested, getting out two mugs while Amy sat down at the table. “Lucky for you I went shopping yesterday.”

“I thought you usually did errands on Saturdays? Ooh, were you seeing the man again,” she asked with a look.

“We, uh, spent some time together,” said Lucy awkwardly, sure she was blushing and not really knowing why.

After all, she had nothing to be ashamed of. She was a grown woman, Garcia was, unquestionably, a grown man, they were both unattached and they liked each other a lot. So, what if they spent pretty much a whole day in bed together? It was just that she didn’t particularly want to tell Amy that right now, because she knew very well what her reaction would be.

“Hey, if I had a guy who looked like that and treated me as well as he treats you, I would spend all the time I could with him,” her sister said instead. “He is still treating you well, right?”

“Very well,” Lucy promised, handing Amy her coffee. “It just works, you know? I haven’t had that in a long time. Honestly? I don’t think I’ve ever had a relationship quite like this one. Garcia is... he’s just different, and kind of perfect for me, actually.”

She was aware that she was probably wearing a dumb smile and looking a little moony eyed when she talked about her boyfriend, but Lucy couldn’t care. She meant every word she said, Garcia was perfect for her, as far as she could tell. Yes, it had been a real shock to find out he had a daughter she didn’t know about, but having processed the fact, she was okay with it now. They talked some more about her maybe meeting Iris some day and any question she asked, Garcia duly answered.

All those niggling worries she had about not knowing him so well had bubbled to the surface for a while when she realised he had been keeping such a big part of his life from her, but in the end, she supposed she could understand why he had done it. Besides, if not for her paternity issues, Lucy probably wouldn’t have shared quite so much about her family as she had at this point.

“Luce?” Amy called for her attention, gesturing to the smoking pan of eggs.

“Crap!” Lucy exclaimed, moving them away from the heat. “I’m sorry, I’ll make more.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” her sister told her easily. “Are you still worried about the test results?” she asked then.

Lucy sighed. “I guess, yeah, a little... or a lot,” she confessed, dumping the pan into the sink and running water into it. “For all I know, they sent them already. I’ve been too afraid to check my personal email the past couple of days,” she said, sitting down beside Amy.

Immediately, her sister put her hand on her knee. “You wanna look now? I mean, maybe you’d rather find out by yourself, without me here, but I just thought-”

“No.” Lucy shook her head, covering Amy’s hand with her own. “No, I think I’d rather find out with you here. I mean, this concerns you too and... I can’t think of anybody I’d rather have with me when I find out the truth.”

Amy smiled and nodded for Lucy to go ahead already.

Reaching for her phone that was over on the counter, charging, Lucy took a deep breath and clicked into her email account. A few moments later, she was opening up the new message from the DNA place, dreading what she might see written inside. She was physically shaking as her eyes skimmed the text and then suddenly, she couldn’t see properly as tears filled her eyes.

“Lucy? What does it say?”

* * *

“She is precious,” said Jiya as she flipped through the photos on her friend’s phone. “Of course, I don’t know how you and she are related when she’s just so cute,” she said then, smirking hard as she glanced up at Garcia.

“You know how to wound a man, Jiya,” he teased right back. “But I have to agree, she is a beautiful girl. Of course, I’m biased.”

“Well, Iris certainly loves her daddy,” she said definitely, showing him the last picture she had looked at, the one of both Iris and Garcia squeezed into frame, both grinning like fools. “If I was the type to get broody, this would do it.”

“I think maybe you should have a few more dates with Rufus yet before you get as far as talking about babies,” Garcia advised. “I’m not saying he scares easy but that would be a little fast, don’t you think?”

Jiya laughed so hard she actually snorted. “You may have a point,” she admitted when she was able to speak again, handing Garcia his phone as it buzzed in her hand. “I think you have incoming.”

Checking the screen, he saw it was a text message from Lucy and quickly opened it. He hadn’t meant to react quite so obviously, not in front of Jiya, but apparently it happened anyway.

“Bad news?” she asked, frowning herself when he glanced at her.

“Unfortunately, yes, but I was expecting it,” he said with a sigh. “I should...” he said gesturing towards his office.

“Okay, but if you need anything...” said Jiya, finding him a smile before walking away.

She was such a good person and she meant well, but Garcia knew he could never talk to her about this. Nobody here could get to know about his very real feelings for Lucy Preston, even though sometimes he wondered if Denise suspected. He wasn’t about to ask her, that was for sure.

Going back into his office, Garcia closed the door behind him and sat down at the desk. He re-read Lucy’s message and shook his head. She had the results. The truth of her paternity was confirmed. Henry Wallace was not her father and now she knew it, just the same as Garcia did. He had no idea what he was supposed to say in reply. He wanted to bring comfort, he wanted to tell her everything. One was infinitely more possible than the other, but neither was easy.

Thumbs hovering over the keypad, he wrote her eight difference messages, deleting each one and replacing it with another. Nothing looked right, nothing he could come up with was good enough. In the end, he gave up, dialled her number and put the phone to his ear.

“I didn’t like to call you when you’re at work,” said Lucy the moment she picked up, sniffling enough to let him know she was crying again. “I wasn’t sure if you’d get into trouble.”

“It’s fine,” he assured her. “Lucy, draga, I am so sorry. I know you wanted a different result,” he said gently, only glad that all he had said so far didn’t have to be more lies.

“Yeah, well,” she said sadly, “it’s not like this was unexpected. The whole reason for the test was because things didn’t add up. At least I have the truth now, even if it is only half the truth.” She sighed. “I don’t even know where I go from here, finding my biological father. Where do I start?”

Garcia opened his mouth to reply but closed it again fast, free hand curling into a fist that so wanted something or someone to hit right now. Lucy was suffering and he had the means to help her. He knew who she was looking for, he had the ability to give her every detail of that man’s life, to acquaint her with all the facts she might want and more besides, and yet he could say nothing, not yet anyway.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, hating himself for it in the very next second. “You don’t know how much I wish I could help, to make it better for you.”

Lucy swallowed audibly hard. “I know,” she said softly. “Trust me, just having you in my life, it does help,” she promised.

Garcia winced at the sound of those words, hearing her be so sweet and kind and grateful. He hated himself almost as much as he cared about her.

“Forgive me, Lucy, but... but I have to go now,” he told her getting up from his chair. “I promise to call you later, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” she replied, sounding just a little startled. “Is anything wrong?”

“No, it’s just... you know, work,” he said vaguely, again at least not a lie.

They ended their call, Garcia pocketed his cell, and headed straight for Denise’s office. He didn’t stop when Rufus tried to talk to him or when someone else tried to tell him Agent Christopher was taking an important call. He just barged right on in to her office and waited impatiently until she swiftly ended her conversation and put down the phone.

“Agent Flynn, what is the meaning of this?” she asked crossly.

“This investigation has gone far enough,” he told her, just as angry as he could ever be. “I told you before that Lucy had no part in Rittenhouse, that she didn’t even seem to know they existed. You asked for proof, well, I have it for you now.”

Pulling his cell from his pocket, he brought up the last text from Lucy and all but shoved it up Denise’s nose. She humphed at the action, taking the phone from Garcia’s hand and reading.

Lucy:  
I got the results. Henry Wallace isn’t my father.

Something crossed Denise’s face as she read those words but she said nothing. Garcia wasted no time in giving her a few more of his opinions to be going along with.

“She thought he was her father. She is broken-hearted to have proof that he’s not,” he explained, tearing his cell from Denise’s hand the moment she proffered it at him. “There is no way in hell she knows a single thing about Cahill. I just got off the phone from her. She is in tears, _again_ , wondering how on earth she is going to find her biological father. Now will you believe that she is an innocent in all of this?”

He didn’t really expect her to break that easily. Garcia hadn’t known Denise all that long in relative terms, but they had worked closely together and he was in no doubt of both how tough she was, and how dedicated to her job. His heartfelt pleas in Lucy’s name would only go so far, but surely, she couldn’t dispute the evidence he laid before her?

“I’ll admit Miss Preston does seem ignorant of her real father’s identity,” she admitted after a long silence. “Still, her mother was Rittenhouse too...”

“Her mother is dead!” Garcia reminded her loudly. “If she hadn’t recruited her already, I doubt she will start trying now, unless you want me to search Lucy’s apartment for a Ouija board, just in case.”

The look on Denise’s face proved she was not impressed by his facetious attitude, but at this point, Garcia was past caring. He needed this to be over, partly for his own sake, moreover for Lucy’s benefit. Lying to her had been tearing him apart for a while now, but all of this mess with her paternity made it so much worse. He just needed the investigation to be over, then maybe, somehow, he could fix all this.

“I don’t like your attitude, Agent Flynn,” said Denise sharply. “And I don’t appreciate your barging into my office trying to give me orders. That’s not how things work here,” she reminded him with a stern look. “However,” she continued then, softening just a little, “I accept the points you’ve raised as valid and I will pass them on to the relevant people.”

Garcia felt something in him give way and was sure he shrunk two inches in height as all the air rushed out of him. It was such a relief that she would even take him seriously and try to get this part of the investigation shut down. It meant a lot.

“So, it’s true what they say,” he said, smiling just slightly. “You do have a heart.”

“Apparently, so do you,” she said with a look. “This is about more than you wanting to be done with some boring assignment, I know that much.”

Garcia opened his mouth to answer her, but never actually got the chance as she continued.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back,” she told him. “Now, I have work to do and so do you. Shut the door on your way out.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Garcia, clicking his heels and saluting for good measure before turning and walking out of the door.

“And Garcia?” she called behind him making him look back. “The sarcasm isn’t appreciated either,” she told him with a smirk.

“Duly noted,” he told her. “Thank you, Denise,” he added sincerely before closing the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Lucy sat back from the table, pushing her hand back into her hair and sighing heavily. She had been going through all the papers and records she had on her mom, trawling through boxes of diaries, year books, everything and anything that might lead her to find who Carol Preston made a baby with back in 1984. All Lucy wanted to know was the identity of her real father, and yet, the search for this elusive man was giving her a real headache.

It wasn’t that she wanted to wipe out all that Henry Wallace had meant to her. He would always be her dad, the man who raised her and loved her as his own, but not knowing the whole truth was going to kill Lucy by degrees. It was definite that she and Amy were half-sisters, sharing the same mother, but definitely not the same dad. Lucy could use another DNA test to prove whether any given man was her biological father or not, but first she needed a likely candidate and that was not an easy find.

She had a list on the table in front of her, her mother’s dating history in scratchy pencil on a half-used legal pad. It seemed wrong somehow to even be trying to track this kind of thing, and quite honestly, Lucy couldn’t even be sure that every name written down was a guy that had meant all that much in her mom’s life. She was just trying to cover all her bases, noting down any name that seemed to mean anything in young Carol Preston’s life. One of them had to be the right man, surely, and yet, how was Lucy ever going to pare down her list? Look up all these guys on the internet, track them down via private investigator then go to their houses and ask them if they slept with her mother approximately nine months before Lucy’s birth?

Something half-way between a laugh and a sob escaped her lips and Lucy covered her mouth with her hand. She felt so stupid, so ridiculous, and so completely out of her depth.

As if he knew how much she needed someone in that moment, her cell phone rang and Lucy saw Garcia’s name there on the screen. Taking a deep breath, she hit the button to accept the call and put the phone to her ear.

“I think I’m going crazy,” she told him straight out.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “You wanna elaborate on that?”

“I’ve just spent most of a day looking through every document I have connected to my mom, hoping to figure out who my biological father might be... and I don’t even know why.”

She heard Garcia sigh on the other end of the line. It was awful, her putting all this onto him when there was nothing he could really do to help at all, at least, not practically. His very existence seemed to help her mood most of the time, but when it came to tracking down her unknown father, Lucy knew she was the only one who stood a chance of finding the guy, and so far, she was stumped.

“I’m so sorry, Lucy,” Garcia told her then. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

He apologised a lot, as if it were all his fault. She supposed it was just one of those things people said when others were sad and they didn’t know how to help, like when somebody was grieving or very sick. Lucy was grateful not be either of those things, but somehow, this situation made her feel that way. She felt like she lost something when she found out for sure that Dad wasn’t her real father. She felt more than a little sick and strange, realising just how fruitless and pointless the search for her natural father was probably going to turn out to be.

“Lucy?”

“Still here,” she said fast, realising too late how quiet she had become. “I’m the one who should be sorry, Garcia, and I am. These past few weeks... God, I don’t know how you’ve put up with me.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, draga,” he told her kindly. “I understand. I only want to help, if I can.”

“You have no idea how much I wish you could,” she told him, sighing heavily one more time. “I mean, you do, just having you to talk to, having you be so understanding, but I meant practically, you know? Unless you have a way to time travel back to the year I was born and find out who my mother was seeing,” she said, chuckling at her own stupid joke.

“You know,” said Garcia softly in her ear, “maybe I can be of more real help than you think. I, uh, I know some people who might be able to provide some information.”

Lucy had been tipping herself back on her chair and now came back to earth with a genuine bump. She opened her mouth to speak but wasn’t sure what she intended to say. Swallowing hard, she eventually found the words.

“What do you mean? You know some people? What people?” she asked all in a rush. “Garcia...”

“It’s okay, Lucy,” he promised her. “It’s nothing illegal or... well, they’re just people who have access to information, maybe the kind that you need right now.”

She really wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say to that. Garcia was making a wonderful offer and Lucy wanted to say yes, she wanted the help, the information, the answers to a million questions that plagued her day and night pertaining to her true parentage. At the same time, she had to wonder what exactly she was getting herself into here, what Garcia might be getting himself into for her.

“I... I don’t want you to be in any trouble,” she told him urgently. “Garcia, it’s not worth it.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of the laughter she thought she heard from him then, or the sigh that followed.

“Lucy, don’t you know by now that you are worth so very much to me?” he asked her.

The way he said it made her shiver in the best way, made her heart quicken in her chest. She knew that he cared for her, of course she did, he had made that abundantly clear in the past couple of months and in so many ways. Still, this was the first time he really made it plain in words and actions both, to ask her that question, to make it seem as if he would risk anything, _everything_ to help her.

Before she could form a suitable answer, he spoke again.

“Just let me see what I can do for you, please? I want to help.”

Lucy slowly nodded her head, realising very quickly that it was pointless.

“Okay,” she said instead. “Thank you, for whatever it is that you plan to do, but I meant what I said, Garcia, please don’t get yourself, or anyone else, into any trouble for my sake. I’d hate to think that my problems made problems for you too.”

* * *

Garcia bit his lip at the sound of Lucy’s words. She was so different to her parents, her heritage, so completely removed from the evil of Rittenhouse. No-one could care so much for others, worry so much for someone like him, and be anything but good.

“I promise, draga, nothing terrible will happen,” he swore to her faithfully.

With that vow made, and her willingly accepting his offer of help, the call soon ended. Garcia put his cell phone down on the desk and ran both hands back through his hair. He was a fool, a prize idiot for telling Lucy about his so-called friends that had access to certain information that might help her. It wasn’t an out-and-out lie because he did know people who knew all there was to know about Benjamin Cahill and Carol Preston both, but he didn’t need their help to compile the facts. Garcia knew them all himself, or could at least access them, put them together, present them to Lucy. 

Of course, that would mean telling her more than just the truth about herself and where she came from. Garcia would have to tell her everything about the investigation, about the way their own first meeting was set-up, how their entire relationship was built on a lie.

One fist came down hard on the desk’s edge with an almighty thump as he growled loudly in frustration. A second later, Garcia looked up at the sound of tapping on his door, followed by a familiar voice, all full of concern.

“Flynn? You okay?”

“I’m fine, Rufus,” Garcia called in reply, unsurprised when the door then opened and his friend and colleague poked his head in to confirm what he was being told. “I just... caught my hand on the desk is all. You know, it happens,” he said, as casually as he could.

Rufus was a computer whiz and mechanical genius, but he didn’t always pick up on things in people so much. Garcia hoped that was true today. No such luck.

“Seriously, man, are you okay?” he asked, looking back out into the hall a moment before ducking into the office completely and closing the door behind him. “I mean, you can totally tell me if I’m out of line here, but... well, you’ve been a little extra intense the past few days. Jiya noticed too,” he explained fast. “And I know work can be rough and there’s a lot riding on these investigations you guys do, but if something’s wrong-”

“What would be wrong?” Garcia asked, forcing a smile.

“Yeah, see, the fake grinning thing is way more creepy and concerning than anything else,” said Rufus pointedly.

Garcia sighed and rubbed his forehead. “It’s complicated, Rufus, and you know how it is in this line of work. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

He was only half-joking and was well-aware that Rufus knew that too. They shared a knowing look and then the tech-geek sighed.

“Look, I’m not asking you to spill big secrets here, just... well, if you need someone to talk to, I’m around, Jiya too. Even if it’s just to hang out and talk about other stuff, take your mind off the stress of work?”

Garcia’s smile was much more genuine as he looked at Rufus then. The guy was just trying to be kind and helpful, which meant a lot in the circumstances.

“Thank you, Rufus,” he said, nodding his head. “I do appreciate the offer, but I’ll be just fine,” he assured him. “You can tell Jiya I’m grateful for her concern also, but again, I’m fine, okay?”

For a moment, it looked as if Rufus might argue some more, but then finally, he nodded.

“Okay,” he said, moving towards the door again. “I should...” he said, gesturing over his shoulder and then leaving at last.

Garcia raised one hand in a kind of wave goodbye, letting it drop into his lap the second his friend was gone. He resisted the urge to make any more sounds of frustration or even to take out his feelings on the furniture. Apparently, that just attracted unwanted attention, which was the last thing this situation needed.

Of course it was nice of his friends to care but Garcia didn’t deserve their concern or their kindess. It was true that as much as Lucy was struggling with her paternity issues, Garcia was just as twisted up and pained by his own situation, but what was worse was in his case was that it was all of his own making. Lucy was the innocent one, in all possible ways. God, how he hated himself for adding to her pain.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to make it easier. It was a week now since he talked with Denise about calling an end to the investigation into Lucy, but still, Agent Christopher had no answer to give him. Every day, he checked in, asked for an update. Every day, she told him he must be patient and wait while those at a higher level made the big, important decisions. The superiors certainly were dragging their heels, and for as long as that went on, Lucy suffered.

“Not anymore,” Garcia muttered to himself, moving over to his computer and calling up the necessary records.

If he did this right, no-one ever had to know that he took confidential information and shared it with the so-called mark. He could keep his promise to Lucy and not get himself into trouble, if he just played the situation correctly.

One way or another, Garcia was determined that he would be telling his Lucy all she wanted to know about her father, even if he couldn’t share everything else just yet.

“Time for a little truth.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to **kissedbydragonfire** , just because I think she's great and deserves recognition for all the lovely comments she sends my way.
> 
> Thanks to anyone and everyone who leaves comments and/or kudos - all are appreciated. Hope everybody is staying safe, staying indoors as much as possible, and keeping their chin up. We can do this, people! :)

“This is... It’s the truth about my father?”

Garcia only nodded his head once, watching closely as Lucy’s eyes darted from his own face to the envelope held in her badly shaking hands. He had thought of just telling her what he knew, but that might actually be harder to explain. He figured if he could give her a document about her biological father, she would accept that truth and perhaps not ask too many questions.

Though he was only giving Lucy half the truth, not really even as much as that, Garcia comforted himself with the fact that it was better than nothing. Besides, this was the answer she had been looking for, asking for, desperate for. He was doing the right thing, at least on some levels.

“I know this is going to sound so weird,” Lucy told him then, a strangely nervous smile playing at her lips, “but even though this is all I’ve been thinking about for days and days, now I have the answer... I’m not sure I want to look.”

“You don’t have to.” Garcia shrugged easily, reaching then to take one of her still trembling hands into his own. “Lucy, you are an amazing person,” he told her as she met his eyes. “You are beautiful and intelligent, strong and passionate, and all of that is true, no matter the identity of your natural parents, or those that raised you,” he said definitely. “You will always be Lucy Preston. You will always be the woman I... You will always be you.”

Somehow, Garcia knew he would have more regrets from letting certain words spill out in this moment than from holding them back. He couldn’t bear to let something so important, so special, be forever tarnished by the lies that had begun this relationship.

When he told Lucy he loved her - because he was more sure now than ever before that it was true - it had to be when he told her every other truth she deserved to hear as well. Unfortunately, today was not that day.

“You know, you’re pretty amazing yourself, Garcia Flynn,” she told him with a shaky smile. “I still don’t really understand how you got this,” she said, gesturing with the envelope in her other hand. “My birth certificate lists Henry Wallace as my father and there was nothing even close to concrete in my mother’s journals and papers...”

“It doesn’t matter how I got it,” said Garcia quickly. “Just trust me that it comes from a very reliable source. That’s all I can say, if you want me to keep my promise about not getting myself or anyone else into trouble.”

Lucy nodded her understanding and said no more. Staring down at the envelope once again, she took a deep breath and extracted her other hand from Garcia’s grasp. He watched and waited as she tore into the envelope, slipped out the pages inside and read.

It broke his heart to see the tears building in her eyes, her hand going to her mouth as a sob broke free and those same tears tumbled down her cheeks. He had seen her cry so many times in the last few weeks. At least this time, she was smiling, though he doubted they were truly happy tears. Maybe just something like relief, he supposed.

“He has a name,” she said, swallowing hard before she could go on. “He’s an actual person. Benjamin Ethan Cahill.” 

Garcia fought the urge to make a face at the sound of that name. All he knew of the evil bastard was bad, except for the fact he had a part in bringing Lucy into existence, of course. As far as Garcia was concerned, that was Cahill’s only contribution to the world that was worth anything at all, but he couldn’t say a word, not yet.

“This is a lot of information.” Lucy frowned as she read on. “I know you just told me you can’t answer questions, but it’s so specific, Garcia. There’s so much that I don’t know but somehow somebody else does? Does that mean...?”

She looked up, meeting his gaze, and must have seen just how awkward he felt written in his eyes. He couldn’t explain, or maybe he could, but she made him swear he wouldn’t get into any trouble. He was risking so much already by bringing even this amount of information to her. If she figured out how and why he had it, more might be broken than just her heart, though that would be bad enough, of course.

“Okay, you can’t tell me anything else,” Lucy muttered to herself, eyes going back to the paperwork. “Oh, wow. He’s here. I mean, he’s in California, in San Francisco. A paediatric surgeon at UCSF. That’s... wow. I could actually drive there and meet him right now.”

“Probably not the best idea,” said Garcia, without really thinking it through.

After all, Lucy’s next question would doubtless by ‘Why?’ and then what answer would he give?

“Yeah, you could have a point,” she said instead, causing him to sigh with relief. “I mean, I’m not even sure he knows who I am, that I exist... although, if he doesn’t, I don’t know where all this came from,” she said, waving the papers in her hand.

“Lucy.” Garcia shook his head. “I... I know it’s confusing, to have only half the answers, and maybe I never should’ve given them to you at all, but you wanted to know the truth so badly. You deserve this much.”

He felt like such a heel just saying it, talking to her about the truth when he had told her so many lies. Well, maybe not so many. All that he said about his feelings for her, that was all very true, plus most of what she knew about his background, his family, his life before he met her. He had to lie, or at least be economical with the truth, when it came to his work, and of course, their first meeting was a fabrication all of its own, but it could be so much worse. At least, Garcia told himself that so he could sleep at night. Maybe that was the biggest lie of all.

* * *

He was struggling with something. Lucy assumed it was his conscience, because unless Garcia had gained access to records that he shouldn’t have, she really had no idea how he had discovered her real father’s identity when she couldn’t manage it herself. These documents looked official, as if they came from some kind of database maybe. She wasn’t supposed to ask and so Lucy didn’t, but she wanted to know. If he was keeping things from her, real things that mattered, she really didn’t know how she would cope with it, not now, after everything. That couldn’t be it, surely.

“You know I appreciate this, right?” she told him, a hand at his cheek making him look at her again. “I’m sorry, I know I’m asking things that I said I wouldn’t ask, it’s just such a weird situation. When somebody I just met two months ago somehow knows more about my family tree than I do,” she said, unable to help the burst of humourless laughter that came from her lips, “you have to admit, it’s a little crazy.”

Garcia nodded, whether in agreement or just some kind of understanding, Lucy wasn’t entirely certain. All she knew for sure was that he had done whatever he had done to help her, to make her feel easier about her situation, and honestly, she was pretty sure he compromised himself in some way to do it. That had to prove something.

“Thank you” she said then, leaning forward and planting a kiss on his lips. “For whatever you did, whatever rules you had to break or favours you had to call in. I’d say I don’t approve but, hey, that’d make me a huge hypocrite,” she said with a smile as her hand slipped away from his face.

“There’s something else that I know, something I should tell you,” he said suddenly, but then no more.

“Okay. About how you got this?” she checked, gesturing with the papers.

Garcia shook his head. “It’s about him. Your, uh, father.”

It was as if it pained him to say that and Lucy felt her breath catch. He couldn’t be about to tell her anything too awful, like Benjamin Cahill was dead or something. That would be on the paper too, surely. A death date right alongside the date of birth. Besides, he currently worked in a hospital all of an hour away. She did just read that, didn’t she?

“I... I don’t know how to say this, except to say that... I don’t believe this Cahill is a good man.”

Lucy frowned at that, her eyes going back to the pages in her hands, as if she expected to find evidence of what Garcia was telling her. A long rap sheet, tales of bad behaviour of some kind, any kind, but there was none. It was all very factual, very basic. Numbers, dates, details that every person had on record somewhere. Nothing criminal or even questionable.

“I’d ask how you know that,” she said, shaking her head, “but I’m guessing that’s another one of those questions I’m not supposed to have.”

When Garcia suddenly stood up and turned away, Lucy really started to worry. He knew so much about a man she didn’t even know existed until a few minutes ago. Why did he know? How could he, when she hadn’t a clue? There was no Benjamin Cahill mentioned in any of her mother’s diaries, papers, year books, anything. It was as if the two people never met, and yet, Garcia seemed determined that this was Lucy’s father, and yet also that she shouldn’t even want to know him?

“Garcia?” she said behind him, but he didn’t turn.

She watched him run a hand back through his hair, his shoulders slumping then as if he was truly defeated. Lucy wished she knew what was bothering him. She wanted to ask and yet was sure she had to know the answer already. He had gotten information from some source he shouldn’t have, but would that cause all this? Unless the facts and figures she held in her hand were untrue. What proof did she have that this really was her father?

That seemed to call into question Garcia’s character and her ability to trust him. Lucy knew he was a good man, that much was plain enough, and it wasn’t as if he ever lied to her before. Well, he had kept his daughter’s existence from her for a while, but that was different. Also, it was true that she had only known the guy a couple of months, but sometimes, that was enough. She already felt like they had known each other forever, even if that was so cliché and probably stupid too.

Her eyes moved from Garcia’s back to the papers in her hand one more time. He had gone out on a limb for her, Lucy knew, and here she was wondering if he was being honest, if she could even trust him. This man on the pages she held, Benjamin Cahill, maybe he was her father and maybe he wasn’t, but she believed that Garcia thought he was or had at least been told that he was. That was enough for her. Everything else could wait until later.

“Okay,” she said then, pushing the papers back into the envelope and getting up to file it away in the bottom drawer of the nearby desk.

The movement seemed to get Garcia’s attention back at last and he turned back to look at her.

Lucy smiled as she moved towards him.

“I don’t know what you had to do to get that information for me and I’m not asking. I also don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet, but that’s okay. At least I have it now and I have you to thank.”

“Lucy...” he said, looking to the floor.

“Garcia, please, don’t,” she urged him, stepping ever closer, tipping her head right back to meet his eyes. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have been in this awful mood for way too long. It’s probably a beautiful day outside, so why don’t we go and do something, anything. Something that does not involve talking about family secrets and illicit information sources?”

She smiled when she said it and was glad to see she had achieved her goal of making him look even slightly happier too. His hands found hers, entwining their fingers.

“I have said it many times before, but it is still as true as it ever was,” he said, looking at her with nothing less than complete wonder and adoration. “You are an amazing woman, Lucy Preston.”

“Well, thank you, Garcia Flynn,” she said with a giggle. “Now, where are you taking me?”

“Anywhere you want to go, draga,” he told her easily, leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips. “Anywhere at all.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about we put the angst to one side for just a little bit? Cute chapter alert! ;)

“So, meeting the daughter. That’s a big deal, huh? I mean, you don’t just have some random woman you’re dating meet your kid. Must mean you and the boyfriend are pretty serious,” said Amy with a significant look, before she put the next bite of dinner into her mouth.

“I wish I knew exactly what it meant.” Lucy sighed, pushing her own food around the plate, so far mostly untouched. “I mean, what is serious?” she considered. “I used to think I had to be serious about a guy to sleep with him, but that doesn’t always work out. Shouldn’t serious be ‘I love you’? We’re not there yet, at least, not outloud saying it,” she said, shaking her head.

It was only when Amy didn’t answer her or make any comment at all that Lucy raised her own gaze from her plate and found her sister staring slack-jawed at her, fork halfway to her mouth.

“What? Amy, what is wrong with you?” she prompted when no response came.

“Nothing.” Amy shook her head and made a point of continuing to eat.

Lucy wasn’t buying. “Yeah, that expression was not a ‘nothing’ expression, so what has you so shocked? The fact Garcia and I haven’t said I love you but we already had sex?” she said, moderating her tone just a little when she realised the people at the next nearest table may actually hear and probably didn’t want or need to. “I may not always be as progressive as you, but I’m not such a prude that I need a marriage proposal before I get that far.”

“I never said anything about that,” Amy defended herself, hands held up in mock surrender. “And for the record, the fact you haven’t told him you love him is not what shocked me. It was... it was the fact that it seemed like you _wanted_ to. That maybe you’ve been trying to find the right time to?” she asked, looking bemused. “You really love him? Already?”

“I don’t know.” Lucy sighed, letting her fork clatter against her plate as she put it down too hard, her hands holding her head as if that might help her find some sense in her jumbled thoughts. “I mean, what is love? I’ve had guys in my life before that said they loved me and I said it back and... and at the time, I meant it, or I thought I did. I don’t know.”

“Luce, come on.” Amy reached for her sister’s hand and looked so sorry for causing any of this.

It was only when Lucy tried to focus on her contrite expression that she realised the view was blurry. When exactly had she started crying?

“These past few weeks, you’ve had a lot going on,” said Amy gently. “Maybe it’s not the best time to be worrying about some guy.”

Some guy. It was an interesting choice of words, Lucy thought. There was no arguing with the fact that Garcia Flynn really was _some guy_. Did she love him? Most of the time, she was pretty sure that she did. Certainly, she wanted him in her life as much as possible, and he didn’t seem eager to go anywhere, despite all the crying and the drama and such of the past few weeks.

Lucy really had had a lot going on, Amy wasn’t wrong on that, and through it all, Garcia had stood at her side, held her when she needed comfort, told her she was amazing and beautiful when she felt anything but, even gone so far as to go to some unknown source for information about her biological father that she probably wouldn’t have been able to gain through any other means. He made her happy, he was everything she wanted, and yes, she did love him, even if she hadn’t told him yet. Not that he had said anything close to those words to her either. Lucy wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse.

“I know what you mean,” she told Amy then, patting her hand that gripped her arm yet. “And you’re right, I have had a lot going on, but I honestly don’t think I would’ve got through it so well without two people, and one of them is Garcia,” she said with a sigh before smiling. “The other one is you, by the way.”

“Like I didn’t know that.” Amy rolled her eyes, grinning as she went back to her dinner and encouraged Lucy to do the same. “I guess he is doing pretty well with all our family drama.”

Lucy loved her for using the word ‘our’ even though it wasn’t Amy’s parentage that was ever in question. Of course, it was equally true that neither sister had ever once felt any the less connected to each other for the news that they only shared a mother, not a father.

Lucy had told Amy about Benjamin Cahill and what she knew of him so far, though she left out the part where it was Garcia who provided all the information. She had promised him to keep it to herself and though Amy might have been her one exception to most rules, on this one, she wasn’t even willing to go that far. Amy could be trusted with secrets, but this was such a strange one to have to keep, it was easier not to have her in on it, for everybody’s sake.

“So, tell me again about this kid you’re meeting on Sunday,” said Amy then, chewing thoughtfully on her food. “Rose, right?”

“Iris,” Lucy corrected, rolling her eyes and smiling fondly at her sister. “Honestly, I don’t know all that much myself. She’s eight years old, she lives with her mom, Lorena, but she sees Garcia every Sunday. She likes to draw and apparently she cannot wait to meet Daddy’s friend Lucy.”

“Well, that’s cool.” Amy shrugged. “At least she hasn’t painted you the wicked step-mother already.”

Lucy choked on her food and grabbed at her wine glass, taking a long drink.

“Step-mother?” she gasped out a second later. “Seriously?”

“Well, if you and the handsome, European tree are getting along so well, skating along the ‘I love you’ line, and now he’s introducing you to his daughter...”

She trailed off with a significant look on her face that left Lucy in no doubt of what she meant.

It seemed insane, to be even joking about her marrying a guy she didn’t even know a couple of months ago, but the rest of what Amy had said was true enough. Lucy did love Garcia and she would like to believe he felt the same. All his actions lately seemed to prove it was true, and she was in fact meeting Iris, at his request, this weekend. She hadn’t been all that nervous about it before, but now? God, she was terrified.

_Two days later..._

“You think Lucy will like my dress?” asked Iris, smoothing the fabric with her hands.

“I am sure she will, mališa,” her father promised, dropping a kiss on her head as he sat down beside her on the couch. “But there is so much more to love about you than whatever you’re wearing, you know that, don’t you?”

“I know,” Iris promised, smiling up at him. “I can call her Lucy, can’t I?”

“What else would you call her?” Garcia asked, frowning a little at the strange question.

“Well, I don’t call any other grownups by their first names,” she said, considering it seriously. “Except for aunts and uncles. Should I call her Aunt Lucy?”

“Uh, no, Iris,” he told her, shaking his head. “Just Lucy is fine. I know we taught you it was disrespectful to call adults by their first names unless you’re invited to, but this is different. Lucy is... different,” he said, not knowing how else to explain, but feeling confident at least that what he said was the truth.

It made a change these days. With both his daughter and with Lucy, he tried to be as honest as possible, but in certain circumstances it wasn’t easy. Sometimes, it was just downright impossible! He supposed it was an advantage that neither Iris nor Lucy knew the truth of his job at least, so no-one would be spilling those secrets when they shouldn’t. Iris was far too young to understand, and Lucy, well, Garcia could only hope that when the time came, she would be able to accept him for who and what he really was. He hoped but was sometimes less certain that he ought to believe.

A buzzing sound had Garcia up from his seat in a moment and Iris followed suit, hopping to her feet and following him to the intercom where he shared a few brief words with Lucy then let her into the building. Iris was over by the apartment door a second later, beckoning her father to follow and let Lucy in long before she could ever have been there.

“Are you really so excited, Iris?” he asked, crouching down to her level.

“She’s your friend,” his daughter told him in earnest, “and she’s a girl. I never met one of your girlfriends before.”

Garcia opened his mouth to explain the difference between a girlfriend and a friend who was a girl, but the words died on his lips. Iris may be young, but he was fairly sure she already knew the distinction. Besides, to deny that Lucy was more to him than merely a friend would just be one more lie he really didn’t want to tell his little girl.

Lucy knocking kept him from saying anything as he rose to his feet again and opened the door to greet her.

“Hi,” she said, looking just a little nervous. “I’m sorry, I know I’m a little late.”

“Not at all,” Garcia assured her, moving to hug her as she shifted as if to kiss his cheek.

They collided a little oddly in the doorway and Iris laughed, though she covered her mouth with her hand in a cute but feeble attempt to hide it.

“Hello,” said Lucy, looking down at her. “You must be Iris. I’m very pleased to meet you,” she told her, smiling widely.

“Pleased to meet you too,” said the little girl, shifting closer to her daddy’s leg and gesturing him to crouch down to her height again.

“What’s the matter, mališa?” he asked, his arm around her back.

Iris moved closer and spoke not quite softly enough near his ear. “You’re right, she’s very pretty.”

Garcia smiled and kissed her cheek, looking up at Lucy who was turning a pretty shade of pink and making a big deal of pushing her hair back with her hand.

“Okay,” he said, smiling as he got to his feet again. “Why don’t you two ladies take a seat and I will get us some drinks. Iris, I’m assuming chocolate milkshake?”

“Yes, please,” she said, nodding madly.

“Ooh, that sounds great. Can I have one of those too?” Lucy asked Iris more than Garcia.

The little girl grinned at her. “You like milkshakes?”

“I _love_ milkshakes,” Lucy confirmed happily. “I just don’t get to have them very often. Only on special occasions.”

“Me too!” said Iris delightedly. “Do you want to see my drawings?”

“I would love to,” said Lucy, only looking a little startled when suddenly Iris grabbed her hand and all but dragged her to the couch.

She glanced back at Garcia with a hopeful look and he gave her a smile and a thumbs up, letting her know she was doing great. It really was something to see them together. He had tried to picture it many times, even though he knew it was probably a fool’s errand introducing them in the first place. If he and Lucy had a normal relationship, if they were as she thought they were, it might have been different, but as things stood...

Shaking his head, Garcia took himself off to the kitchen to fix milkshakes for the girls and get himself an iced tea. It wasn’t what he really wanted. Truthfully, he could use a stiff drink to calm his nerves, but even if it had been later in the day, he wouldn’t do it, not when he was in charge of Iris and had to drive her home later.

As he made the drinks, Garcia couldn’t help but think of Lorena. She had been so understanding when he told her about Lucy, about wanting to introduce Iris to her. He never really expected her to be anything else. After all, they had parted on amicable enough terms for a divorcing couple. It wasn’t that they didn’t care for each other, it was only that their lives really didn’t mesh anymore, and frankly, though they loved each other, they just weren’t in love as a married couple ought to be.

It was so different with Lucy. Garcia had never felt anything like the feelings she evoked in him and it was just his luck that she was the mark on what was essentially a long con. Still, if Denise did as she promised, that whole part of the investigation could be over very soon. Garcia still wasn’t sure how he was going to break the truth to Lucy, even when he was in a position to try, but that was a worry for another day.

“Daddy!” Iris called from the next room, laughter evident in her voice. “Daddy!”

“I’m coming!” he yelled back, picking up the two milkshakes he had prepared and bringing them out to the giggling girls on his couch. “I see you two have become fast friends.”

“Iris was telling me a really funny story,” said Lucy, choking a little as she tried to talk through crazy laughter. “About a trip to the zoo,” she said, watching Garcia too closely, “and a certain man and a monkey?”

He winced a little as he recalled just exactly what tale his daughter might have been telling. Iris herself was in fits of laughter, rolling around on the couch like she could hardly breathe. At least she was happy, in fact, they both were, and Garcia could not be sorry for that, even if he was embarrassed.

“Really?” he said, putting the milkshakes down on the coffee table and grabbing Iris instead, lifting her up into the air. “Because the only little monkey I know is right here!” he said, tickling her mercilessly as she laughed all the harder.

He sat down on the couch by Lucy then with a wriggling Iris in her lap. When he finally stopped tickling her, she pulled herself up straight, leaning over to grab her shake and drink plenty of it. Lucy did the same, smiling over the rim of her glass at Garcia.

“So, did you wait until I left the room and immediately decide to share the most embarrassing stories you could think of?” he asked the two of them.

“Hey, I have told no stories... at least, not yet,” said Lucy smartly.

“I was showing Lucy my pictures,” Iris explained, turning the book on the table towards her father. “See, a monkey. It reminded me of the story.”

“I see.” Garcia nodded. “Well, I suppose that does make sense, but you should be nicer to your poor father,” he said, poking Iris in the ribs until she giggled once more. “I made you your milkshake and I brought you a new friend. Does that not earn me some kindness?”

Immediately Iris turned around and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight and planting a wet, chocolatey kiss on his cheek.

“Volim te, Daddy,” she told him sweetly.

“I ja tebe volim, mališa,” he promised, kissing her forehead. “Now, would you be a sweetheart and go fetch my iced tea for me? I left it behind in the kitchen.”

Iris scrambled from his lap to go do as he asked, leaving Garcia alone a moment with Lucy, as was his plan.

“You look a little less nervous than ten minutes ago,” he said softly.

“Was I so obvious?” Lucy sighed. “This is a big deal, Garcia. Meeting your daughter? It’s... very big,” she said with a look.

“She’s eight year’s old, Lucy, and not at all scary, as you can see,” he reminded her. “I can already tell that she loves you, but then, that isn’t exactly tough to do.”

He hadn’t meant to say it quite like that and wasn’t really surprised to see Lucy look momentarily stunned. After all, they never had said ‘I love you’, not yet, but he did think it had been implied rather strongly by now.

Iris returned to them then, placing her father’s glass on the coffee table with care. She then squeezed in to sit between him and Lucy, pulling her sketch book back into her lap to show more pictures to her new friend.

Garcia was happy to sit back and let them get to know each other a while, after all, it was most of the point of today anyway. He had hoped they would like each other and bear each other’s company tolerably well. There was no way he could have dared to dream they would be this comfortable together so very quickly, but he loved it, as he loved both of them, and knew most definitely that he always would.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who wondered if all the cute last chapter was to make you feel better about the imminent fall out, I can't say you were entirely wrong...

Garcia Flynn used to be in the military and as such was used to going where he was told, when he was told, and generally taking orders from a superior without asking questions. Of course, just because he was used to it didn’t mean he liked it at all. When Agent Christopher wanted him to jump to it, sometimes he dawdled a little, just because, but not now, not today. He was hoping she had good news for him, about Lucy and the whole part of the Rittenhouse investigation that included him lying his butt of to her all of the damn time. Garcia went into Denise’s office hoping for good news and praying he wasn’t disappointed.

“Take a seat, Flynn.”

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t also prepared for the fact that he might just be let down. The look on Denise’s face was a little too sympathetic somehow, it didn’t project good news in any sense. Garcia tried to brace for impact, but it didn’t come easy, not in this situation, not where Lucy was concerned.

“Now, I did tell you that I would see what could be done about your latest assignment,” said Denise, folding her hands on the table. “Please believe that all the evidence and arguments you presented to me were fully passed on to those in charge. I pleaded your case, Garcia, I really did-”

“But they said no,” he said bitterly, not needing to hear anymore.

To her credit, Denise did look as if she felt horrible about it, but that was little comfort to Garcia at all. Frustration did not even begin to cover what he was feeling and he felt justified in slamming his hand against the desk in the very next moment.

Denise didn’t flinch, she never did.

“So, that’s it?” he said crossly. “Just no? Lucy is no threat to anybody, has no part in Rittenhouse, but the powers that be have decided we have to keep up this ridiculous investigation, because why? Because they have nothing better for me to do?”

“For what it’s worth, I believe you,” said Denise, shaking her head. “I made your case, like I said, because I can see that you’re right. Lucy Preston is not a part of this thing, she doesn’t even seem to know it exists, and she’s certainly not aware of Benjamin Cahill.”

Garcia winced a little when she said that but bit his lip and recovered admirably. As far as Denise and anyone else around knew, no, Lucy had no idea about Cahill. Only he knew better, and maybe Lucy’s sister, Amy, by now, but nobody else.

“The problem is, if she is looking into who her birth father is,” Denise continued, “she may yet come into contact with Cahill. We do know that he is aware of her existence, and as we make significant advancements in dismantling other parts of Rittenhouse, there is every chance he might be looking to recruit others to the cause, people who are connected by blood, people like Lucy,” she explained, though the words appeared to leave a bitter taste on her tongue.

Certainly, Garcia knew how that went. To think too much about the kinds of people that were connected to Lucy, the blood that flowed in her veins thanks to both her mother and her father, it was tough to swallow. How someone so beautiful, in spirit as well as in face, could have been borne of such monsters, he would never know, but it had happened, and now, both he and Lucy had to deal with the consequences of that in their own ways.

Rubbing his aching head with one hand, Garcia already knew that to argue with Denise on this was pointless. It was more than clear that she had done her best for him, but unfortunately, she had failed. There was no use getting mad at her or yelling about injustice. It wouldn’t do any good.

“So, that’s it,” he said, sighing in defeat, at least for now. “I carry on as before, lying to an innocent woman, putting her through all this, and for what?”

“For her own safety as much as anything else,” said Denise, getting Garcia’s attention back in a second as he looked at her curiously. “The mission continues because it has to, because there is a larger plan here, to take down Rittenhouse once and for all, but for that to happen, your particular role has to change. No matter what it takes, Flynn, you must not allow Lucy to make contact with Cahill and, if possible, we need to keep him from contacting her too,” she explained. “As you say, Lucy Preston is innocent in all of this. It’s in her best interest, and ours, to keep her that way.”

What she said was true and made perfect sense to Garcia. The thought had, of course, crossed his mind that when he gave Lucy the information about Benjamin Cahill she may want to get in touch. He hadn’t been sure before how he would deal with that, except to hope that his part of the investigation would be shut down so he could tell her the whole truth. With that option off the table, at least for the time being, he had to rethink... unless he didn’t.

“You do realise that if I cut out all the lies I had to tell her before, if I just told her the whole truth now, she would never go near that asshole,” he told Denise with a look.

She glanced away a moment, conflicted, he was sure of it, because he had seen that expression before. It happened more often than some people would think when it came to the great Agent Christopher, you just had to be there on the right occasions to see it, and be quick enough to catch it too.

“I can’t sanction you blowing your cover in that way,” she said, meeting his gaze again, “but if it becomes the only way to keep Lucy and Cahill apart, to keep her safe and out of Rittenhouse’s circle, then you may have to resort to exactly that.”

There was something in the way she said it, the look in her eyes as she did so, Garcia knew that though she couldn’t give him official permission to bring Lucy in on all the secrets of his mission, she just agreed in a very unofficial way. That was good enough for him.

* * *

Lucy raced out of the bedroom to the kitchen, fastening her dress as she went to check on the food. This was the third outfit she had put on in a half hour and she wasn’t even sure why. It wasn’t as if it was the first time she invited Garcia over. It was not their first date, the first night they might end up in bed together, nothing significant at all, just a regular date, and yet she felt so stressed out about it.

Things were so all over the place lately, Lucy wasn’t really surprised she felt out of sorts, but she did want tonight to be as perfect as possible. Garcia had been such a rock for her through all the problems that sprang up in her life in the past few months. She just wanted one evening when they spent some quality time together, had a nice meal, a few laughs, an evening where nobody cried and nothing went wrong.

Retrieving the food from the oven, she almost burned herself on the tray and barely succeeded in getting it onto the worktop without dropping the whole thing onto the tile. It was a mercy to find nothing was burned, even though she had only been warming up pre-cooked dishes.

Lucy was by no means a cook. She had been known to screw up the simplest of meals which is why her fancy dinner, that may look home-cooked, was in fact made elsewhere, by a friend of hers that was a chef in a restaurant in town. All Lucy had to do was sufficiently heat up everything and serve, and that, it appeared, she could do.

“Okay, table set, food ready, dress looks... okay,” she settled on, making a face as she wondered if she had time to change again.

Grabbing the wine that ought to have been opened and allowed to breathe a while, she almost dropped that too when a knock on the door told her she absolutely did not have any more time. Rushing to the door, wine still in hand, she smiled when she found Garcia on the other side, flowers in one hand, wine in the other.

“Great minds, huh?” she said, showing him she carried a similar bottle to his own.

“Apparently,” he agreed, nodding his head, though the smile on his face didn’t seem to entirely reach his eyes. “Sorry for the lack of warning, I snuck in with your neighbour.”

“It’s no problem,” Lucy assured him, letting him inside. “Um, bad day at work?” she tried, even as he traded her the flowers for the wine so he could compare the two.

“Why would you ask that?” he checked, frowning a little.

“Um, you look... I don’t know, tired? Stressed?” she tried. “Sorry, I’m probably projecting. _I’m_ a little tired and stressed,” she admitted, laughing at herself as she led the way back to the kitchen.

“Things didn’t all go how I planned,” Garcia admitted, standing in the doorway with the two bottles in hand still. “Same with any job, I suppose.”

“I guess so,” Lucy agreed, finishing the task of putting the food onto plates. “You can pick which bottle to open,” she said of the wine. “You seem to know more about it than I do.”

She heard him pick up the corkscrew from the worktop and pop the cork out of one of the bottles as she finished serving the food and gestured that he should sit already.

“This looks delicious,” said Garcia, a suspicious look in his eyes that made Lucy laugh loudly.

“No, I didn’t make it,” she confirmed, since he was as aware of her lack of culinary ability as anyone. “I heated it, but that’s all, so you’re safe.”

Garcia smirked across at her, but sensibly said nothing more as they both tucked into the delicious meal. Lucy didn’t ask any more about his work, he never did seem to want to discuss it, and she figured he was allowed to keep that side of things to himself if he wanted to. Besides, he always said it was so boring, she wouldn’t be interested anyway. It never really struck her as odd. After all, a lot of people had boring jobs.

They talked about other things. She told him tales of her work instead, amusing anecdotes about students and faculty alike, then about a bookstore she came across the other day that she thought he would love. 

Garcia nodded and smiled, made small-talk like a pro, but there was something missing, something lacking in him that Lucy couldn’t quite put her finger on. He was like himself in a lot of ways, but not at the same time, and somehow, she didn’t think it was all just a bad day at the office or a lack of sleep. She had a horrible feeling it had much more to do with herself and maybe their relationship. Not long after dessert was done, she took a good long drink from her wine glass, braced accordingly, and asked him.

“Garcia, what’s on your mind? I mean, clearly something is, and if it’s... if it’s what I think it is, then I wish you would just say it and get it over with, because I do understand. I mean, the last few weeks haven’t exactly been fun for you, I’m sure, and I have had a lot going on-”

“Lucy. Lucy, please, stop,” he urged her, grabbing her hand and holding on tightly as he fought to meet her gaze even as she tried equally hard to evade him. “Draga, I don’t know what you think I am going to say to you, but it is not anything about my wanting to end what we have.”

Lucy sighed what felt like the biggest sigh of relief she had ever experienced.

“Wow, okay,” she said, almost laughing, she was so happy to hear those words. “I’m sorry, I just... You’re acting a little weird, like you wanted to say something and it seemed like a bad something, so... yeah.”

When he looked away, almost guiltily, Lucy felt the feeling of dread that had so quickly dissipated build up again at double-speed.

“I do have something that I need to tell you,” he confessed, seeming to have to force himself to look at her then. “But it is not about us. It’s more about your father.”

“My father?” she asked, shaking her head, feeling that topic of conversation had come completely out of left-field. “Oh, God!” she suddenly gasped as realisation hit. “That information you got for me. You got into trouble, didn’t you? Garcia-”

“It’s nothing like that,” he promised her quickly, though his expression was not so much reassuring as it was pained, Lucy thought.

“Then I don’t understand,” she admitted. “You know, you don’t have to tell me how you got it. I promised I wouldn’t ask and I also never told anyone.”

“I know,” Garcia told her with a strange smile. “You are... you are so good, Lucy, you do not deserve...”

He winced as if something were truly hurting him, a knife in his heart or something equally as awful. Lucy so wished she could help him, but being in the dark as to what he was trying to say or confess, she just didn’t know how.

“Okay,” he said then, as if steeling himself for what came next, and met her eyes with that intense gaze that could reduce her to a puddle of goo on the floor when correctly applied. “First, I have to tell you something else, something that I probably should have said long ago. Lucy Preston, I love you.”

The breath went out of Lucy in a new way when she heard those words, not least because they were the last thing she expected in such a moment. Still, she wasn’t sorry he had said them, and as the warm feeling of emotion spread from her heart through her whole chest and then her entire body, she smiled.

“You know, what, Garcia Flynn?” she said, leaning forward and putting her free hand to his cheek. “I love you too.”

There didn’t seem anything better to do after the shared confession than to kiss, so Lucy closed the rest of the gap between them and finally their lips met. It was a kiss that sealed the love between them, it was all it was supposed to be, but just like so many times before, when something started with them, it was often tough to stop. Lucy knew nothing could make this moment any better, except maybe continuing it in more comfortable surroundings. She was about to suggest as much when Garcia’s hands on her shoulders gently but firmly pushed her away.

“Lucy,” he gasped as they parted. “I’m sorry, but there is more you have to hear,” he told her, shaking his head. “Believe me, I wish that you didn’t, and I only hope that when you know everything you will still feel the same love for me as you do now, though I will understand if you don’t.”

Those words certainly wiped the giddy smile from Lucy’s face and considerably dampened her ardour too. She had to admit, if all of Garcia’s painful struggles had been in telling her he loved her, that probably wouldn’t be a positive sign, and besides, hadn’t he said before that he wanted to talk about her father?

“Okay, I’m confused,” she admitted. “Garcia, what is going on?” she asked, sitting back in her chair and staring across at him.

He looked as awkward and pained as she had ever seen him, but also bound and determined to say what must be said, however bad. Clearly it was nothing minor if he truly believed she might not love him when she heard it. She already knew about the ex-wife and about Iris, so...

“I never did tell you exactly what I do for a living,” he said eventually, eyes more on the floor than on her. “That’s because I’m not supposed to talk about it much. You see, Lucy, I work for the government. I... I am an undercover agent.”

He looked up at the last few words and met her gaze, as Lucy felt her own eyes grow very wide. She was half-convinced she misheard what he said, and yet, it might just make sense of some things, she supposed.

“Are you kidding?” she asked, just in case, almost hoping that he was about to laugh.

Of course, he didn’t.

“This is no joke, Lucy,” he told her, too seriously. “I am part of an investigation into an organisation named Rittenhouse.”

“Never heard of them,” she answered like an automatic reaction, she was just so shocked.

“I know,” he said with a sigh rubbing his forehead as if it ached and Lucy could easily believe that it did. “Part of the point of telling you is that you don’t know anything about them. I’m telling you this, Lucy, because... because I want to protect you from Rittenhouse.”

“Why would I need protection from them?” she asked, completely in earnest.

“Because,” Garcia told her, clearly trying to be gentle as he looked at her, “one of the key members of Rittenhouse is Benjamin Cahill, your father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the words of (canon) Garcia Flynn, 'Boom goes the dynamite.'


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the truth all comes spilling out. Please brace accordingly!

Lucy literally had to make a conscious effort to breathe, realising too late that she seemed to have stopped and was choking a little on nothing but the words she just heard from Garcia.

It was one too many shocks. First, he was a secret agent of some kind, that would have been weird enough, but second, he was investigating some presumably evil organisation, and third, perhaps most importantly, her birth father was involved in all of that, on the wrong side. Lucy felt sick.

“Um, I’m sorry,” she said softly, eyes closing as she shook her head and tried in vain to process. “You... you’re telling me that...? So, that’s how...?”

It was such an incoherent mess inside of her head, Lucy wasn’t surprised that it was only worse when she tried to verbalise it. The next time she tried to speak, more than words rose in her throat. Her hand covered her mouth as she suddenly sprang up and bolted to the bathroom, barely getting her head over the toilet bowl before she saw the entirety of her dinner in reverse.

When it was over, she pulled herself up from the floor to wash her hands and face, barely evening willing to look in the mirror and see what kind of state she was in. Running a damp, shaky hand back through her hair, she turned towards the door to find Garcia hovering there, looking awkward and pained still.

“Lucy...”

“Don’t,” she urged him, raising a hand. “Just, don’t,” she repeated, leaning back against the sink for a moment as she tried to get her bearings.

It was too much, way too much, she hardly knew where to begin in even asking questions, though she knew there were plenty she needed answers to. Taking a few deep breaths, she was at least pretty sure she wasn’t going to throw up anymore. She made a gesture with her hands, ushering Garcia back down the hall, the two of them ending up on either end of the couch for this presumably serious talk they were going to need to have.

“Okay,” she said eventually. “So, you told me you had a job in an office.”

It seemed like the easiest place to start, the least horrible, anyway.

“It wasn’t exactly a lie,” said Garcia, squirming even as he said it. “I have an office. Our investigations are run from a multi-storey block across town. I know I made it sound a little more ordinary than in was, but in the circumstances-”

“No, I get it.” Lucy shook her head, wondering if she really meant that or not - she thought she did. “I mean, I don’t exactly, because I never actually met a spy or whatever before, but I get that obviously you can’t just tell a person something like that.”

“I wanted to,” Garcia told her with enough truthfulness in his expression, Lucy couldn’t fail to believe him.

Of course, she was now realising that he was probably trained to say anything at all and make it sound honest and true, even when it was an out and out lie. Lucy pushed those thoughts away because they really were not helping. At this point, she wondered if anything actually would.

“So, you’re a secret agent type person,” she said slowly. “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with the terminology, but that’s not so important, I guess.”

“Lucy, please,” said Garcia then, reaching for her hand, seemingly relieved when she let him take hold. “I wanted to tell you, believe me, so many times, but it really wasn’t that simple. It wasn’t just that my work is confidential. I had to think about you too, your safety-”

“I understand.” Lucy nodded. “I mean, I can imagine, it must be complicated and everything. Actually, I guess I should be grateful that you told me now. That you trust me that much,” she said with a small smile as she met his eyes. “You didn’t have to tell me anything, and I’m guessing you could be in some trouble if your bosses found out that... well, your cover was blown or whatever.”

“Actually, my direct boss, she kind of gave me permission to tell you, in the circumstances,” said Garcia, looking strangely awkward about it.

Lucy opened her mouth to ask what circumstances he meant exactly, then her brain snapped back to the beginning of this conversation, the part where he said he loved her. Was that all it took? Could a secret agent for a government agency just ask their boss, maybe fill out a form and get a stamp of approval on telling someone they loved that they lived a lie? Lucy could hardly believe that was how it worked, but hey, what did she really know? She wasn’t even a huge James Bond fan or anything. Her knowledge on this kind of thing was limited to one or two areas in history, certainly nothing modern or current.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said then, squeezing Garcia’s hand. “I appreciate it. I mean, it does mean a lot that you trust me with that information, although I’m guessing most of the reason you needed to explain was to give me a reason for you having that information on my birth father,” she went on, the cogs turning in her mind, firstly slowly and then faster. “Actually, that was quite a weird coincidence, wasn’t it? I mean, you investigating these people, this... this Rittenhouse,” she said, stumbling over the name, “and then for me to be searching for a man that just happens to be a key member. I mean, that is pretty...”

The nausea came over Lucy one more time, like a tidal wave, though thankfully swallowing very hard took care of it this time. Unfortunately, nothing could stop the tears as she looked at Garcia then and realised this man she loved, this whole relationship they had built in the last few months, it might just all be a lie.

“No,” she said then, pulling her hand sharply from his grasp. “No, no, no. This isn’t happening!”

The volume in her tone increased as she backed up into the furthest corner of the couch away from him.

“Lucy, please,” he urged her, reaching out to her in all possible ways, literally and figuratively.

She just couldn’t stand it. Lucy was on her feet in a second, backing up across the room to put more distance between them, running both hands back through her hair as she silently cried.

“It isn’t what you think,” Garcia tried to tell her. “I admit, when we first ran into each other, it wasn’t... it wasn’t quite as organic as it seemed, but the moment we met, things changed for me,” he explained, getting to his feet but seeming to know he ought to keep his distance for now at least, his hands making placating gestures when she flinched. “I just need you to know that when I told you I love you today, that is the truth.”

An awful sound of hollow, painful laughter echoed through the room and Lucy realised belatedly that it was coming from her own lips, even as the tears kept on coming.

“The truth?” she echoed, voice breaking terribly. “What do you know about the truth, Garcia? My God, if that’s even your real name!”

“It is,” he insisted. “Lucy, so much of what I’ve told you is the truth. There have been very few lies, I promise you. I only kept things from you that I absolutely had to and even then-”

“What? Even then it was for my own good? For my protection? The great Super-Secret Agent Flynn was protecting me from Rittenhouse and my father and everything scary and awful in the big, bad world. Lucky me!” she raged, arms flailing as she went on and on. “Oh my God, I have been such an idiot! I knew, I just knew all this was too good to be true. I knew when I met you that you were just too perfect for me and now, I know why. You fit the profile, you were hand-picked and well-trained to be my perfect boyfriend. Let me ask you, Garcia, was part of the mission getting into my bed too, or was that just a side project?”

If she didn’t notice how those words wounded him, she would have had to be blind. Garcia knew very well the pain had to have shown on his face, but he would bear it if he had to. He deserved it, after all, and couldn’t blame Lucy for being angry and upset. He ought to have known this was how it would be, that it was foolish to believe there would ever be any other result when the truth came out. Still, he had to try to make her see that the secrets and lies were not the only truth that mattered.

“Lucy, I never intended to... to make use of you in any way,” he promised her. “When we met, I was only supposed to befriend you, maybe take you on a few dates, just stay around long enough to prove that you were not Rittenhouse. I knew within days, perhaps even hours, that you could never be a part of all of that. I tried to get that part of the investigation closed down, especially when I knew that I was falling in love with you, and believe me, that did not take long.”

It hurt when she laughed at that, disbelieving, trying to be unfeeling but failing, because she really was that good, gentle, kind person he knew her to be, so far removed from the evil of the organisation her parents played such great parts in.

“How do I know that’s true?” she asked him, so much more quietly now, no longer raging in anger as she had been but seemingly defeated by it all, which somehow almost seemed worse. “How can I believe anything you say to me now?”

Garcia wished he had a good answer to that, but in all his rehearsals of how this conversation would go, he only ever come up with one, and honestly, as much as it was true, he wasn’t convinced Lucy would believe that right now either. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

“Because, Lucy, you know me. You think that you don’t because I told you some things that I was forced to hide before, but you _do_ know me,” he promised her, daring to take a couple of steps forward and tentatively reach for her hand. “Please, Lucy. Look at me, look me in the eyes and you will see that I am telling you the truth. I love you, so much that it has been making me crazy for a while now, most especially when I had to keep all these damn secrets, but it can be different now. I want you to know everything. I want-”

“I don’t care what you want,” she said coldly, pulling her hands from his grasp and turning her face away. “Right now, I don’t want to know anything you want to tell me. I just... I just want you to get out.”

She couldn’t have hurt him any more if she actually struck him.

“Lucy, please,” he urged her, but she only shied away more.

“No, Garcia,” she told him, turning back to meet his gaze one more time. “If what you’re telling me is true, if you really do love me like you say you do, then please, just go.”

If this was how he proved his feelings for her, then so be it, Garcia decided. Slowly he nodded his head, taking two or three deliberate steps backwards and then heading straight for her door.

Lucy watched him retreat then turned away before she had to see the door close behind him. That was when she sunk down to her knees, crying and howling like a wounded animal. This was a pain she had never known before and she had a feeling it was going nowhere fast, because she was pretty sure this was what it was to truly have a broken heart.

* * *

“That’s, like, the fourth time you’ve yawned in the past half hour.” Rufus smiled fondly at Jiya. “Give it up, sweetheart, you’re beat.”

“No, I’m not,” she lied terribly, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Ugh, I’m sorry. I really did want us to party tonight, it’s just been such a long week!”

“It’s okay,” he promised her, kissing the top of her head. “Come on, I’ll take you home, sleeping beauty.”

“You’re so good to me,” she said sleepily as she slid out of the booth, waited for him to do the same, and leaned all her weight on him.

It was no problem to Rufus. Though he maybe wasn’t the most athletic guy, he would happily pick Jiya up and carry her home if it would make her happy. Maybe it was a little too soon to be thinking too far into the future, given they hadn’t been dating all that long, but there were times when Rufus thought this was it for him, that he loved Jiya so much, he just couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone else. If he didn’t think proposing so soon would freak her out, he probably would’ve done it already.

“Hey,” she said then, looking up at him through bleary eyes. “You okay?”

“Sure,” he told her with a smile. “Just thinking, you know, about stuff.”

“Gotta love stuff,” she said, laughing lightly. “Rufus, I was...”

When she stopped abruptly, he half-expected to glance down and find she was actually asleep, even though she was standing. Instead he realised she was staring over at the bar. Following her gaze, his own eyes went a little wide as he realised who and what he was seeing.

“Well, that can’t be good.”

Jiya clearly agreed and the current situation seemed to wake her up too as they both hurried over to assist. Flynn was not in a good way, they knew that before they ever reached him, catching the tail end of some threat he was throwing at the bartender.

“Flynn, what is going on?” Jiya asked him.

The reply she got seemed to be primarily Croatian, which was of no use to her or to Rufus, but the violence with which it was said proved it was nothing good. Also, the slurring proved he was more than a little drunk.

“You better take your buddy home before I call security,” said the bartender looking grim-faced.

“We got it,” Rufus promised, taking one of Flynn’s arms and putting it over his shoulders, encouraging Jiya to help on the other side if she could.

“Not going anywhere!” Flynn complained. “Nowhere to go. What’s the point anyway?”

He went right back to his mother tongue after that and Rufus and Jiya shared a look as they tried in vain to get him towards the door. It seemed that not only was Rufus getting a shortened date night, but Jiya wasn’t going to bed any time soon either. For a while at least they were on Flynn-sitting duty, because this usually capable guy was in no state to look after himself, not at all.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all knew the bad times were coming, right? Well, just trust me that it'll get better in time... just might take a little more time that we'd all like for it to, that's all ;)

Garcia Flynn woke up to a terrible pain in his back that ran up into his neck and head. Mostly his brain was a little fuzzy, probably dehydration since vodka wasn’t known for causing hangovers, but Garcia did remember drinking rather a lot. What he was less clear on was why his body was squeezed onto somebody else’s extremely short couch.

Shifting until his feet were on the ground, he stretched out his protesting muscles and looked around a little. He didn’t recognise the apartment. It wasn’t his own but it certainly wasn’t Lucy’s place either, not that he really expected it to be after the fight they had.

His hand went to his head and his eyes fell shut for as long as he spent reliving the horrible things she said to him. Well-deserved as they may have been, every one was like a knife to his heart. Lucy, his beautiful, precious Lucy who he had hurt so much. He was a fool to think that drowning his sorrows would make him feel any better. He wasn’t so sure anything could at this point.

“All I said was we can’t just let him sleep on your couch forever!”

“And I’m just saying I am really not prepared to wake him up right now!”

Garcia’s eyes opened as he heard voices, first a woman who was clearly caught between wanting to yell and trying to keep quiet, presumably for his sake if she thought he was still sleeping. Then came the man’s retort, in a more even tone. Immediately, Garcia knew them both - Jiya and Rufus. So, that was where he had ended up, Rufus’ place. The memory of getting there wasn’t so much fuzzy as it was non-existent, but he supposed he should at least show some gratitude for whatever help his friends had given him.

Before Garcia had a chance to seek them out, they appeared in the doorway, Rufus slightly behind Jiya who looked surprised to see him sitting up.

“Hey,” she said, smiling too much and waving awkwardly. “So, you’re awake.”

“I am,” he agreed, pushing his hair back from his forehead. “Uh, I have to admit, I’m not completely clear on the details of what happened last night, at least, not after the first half dozen drinks or so.”

“You were fine,” Jiya told him, even as Rufus looked at her with comically wide eyes.

It was hard for Garcia not to find it amusing actually.

“I doubt that,” he said with a sigh. “I am sorry for imposing on you.”

“You didn’t,” insisted Jiya. “Did he, Rufus?” she said, swatting at him until he answered.

“Nope, no imposing. It was all fine,” he agreed. “Uh, but I guess, well, you know, since we got your ass out of the bar before security dragged you out or had you arrested or something, do we at least get to know why you were seriously drunk?”

“Rufus!” Jiya complained, smacking him one more time.

“Okay, moving now,” he said, taking several strides further into the room and out of range of her violent hands.

“You don’t have to tell us anything,” Jiya told Garcia kindly. “Really, it’s none of our business.”

“True,” he agreed, “but Rufus has a point. You probably deserve some kind of explanation, and quite honestly, I could use somebody to talk to about it. Since you two at least work in the same place I do, and already know much of the secrets of Rittenhouse...” he said, considering it seriously.

There was plenty of information that the people that came over to the investigation from Mason Industries were not privy to and it was supposed to stay that way. Still, Garcia was pretty sure he had never met any two people more honest and loyal than Rufus and Jiya. He could trust them, he was sure on that, and like he said, he could really use someone to talk to about all of this, before his head exploded from the pressure of keeping it in.

“I’ll make some coffee,” said Jiya, gesturing back towards the kitchen and disappearing within a minute. “Then I guess we’ll talk.”

Garcia nodded once and then sat back on the couch. He watched Rufus hover around a little, looking so very awkward, despite the fact this was his own home, before finally taking a seat in the armchair.

“I am very sorry about all of this, Rufus,” said Garcia, shaking his head. “It’s a long time since I needed rescuing from a bar like that.”

“Hey, it happens.” Rufus shrugged. “Besides, what are friends for? You’d do the same for me, right?”

A rare chuckle escaped Garcia’s lips then. “I highly doubt you would ever make quite the mess of your relationship that I’ve made of mine,” he said, laughter running out on him in no time at all. “I’m pretty sure you and Jiya haven’t based everything you have on a lie,” he said with a look.

Rufus frowned at those words and then all of a sudden, a light seemed to dawn inside his head. With a snap of his fingers he came up with the answer.

“Lucy Preston,” he said suddenly. “You were supposed to date her for the investigation but...”

“But,” Garcia picked up where he left off, “for the first time in my life, I did the one thing we are trained never to do in these situations. I fell for the mark.”

“Oh my God!” Jiya gasped, catching that last part as she returned to the room with a tray of coffee-filled cups in her hands. “You and Lucy Preston? How did that happen?”

“How does it ever happen?” Garcia sighed, accepting his coffee gratefully and drinking down as much of it as he could in one hit. “She’s an intelligent, vibrant, passionate, amazing woman. We have a lot in common, surprisingly, and things just... happened.”

“Wow,” said Jiya, shaking her head, eyes full of wonder. “That’s weirdly romantic, except for the part where it’s not,” she said, suddenly frowning. “I’m guessing things did not go well last night?”

“Not at all,” said Garcia sadly, staring into his coffee cup. “I finally had the chance to tell her the truth. I hoped rather than believed she might take it well, that once she had all the information, we would be able to find a way through. Now, I’m not so sure,” he said, shaking his head.

“That’s tough, man,” said Rufus sympathetically. “So, I’m guessing Lucy is definitely not Rittenhouse?” he checked then.

Jiya looked daggers at him and Garcia felt bad. Poor Rufus really was getting a lot of trouble from his girlfriend this morning and it wasn’t at all his fault.

“It’s a valid question,” he told them both, “but no, Lucy has no idea about Rittenhouse. She is connected to them, by blood, but she definitely isn’t part of that mess,” he said, drinking the last of his coffee and replacing the cup on the tray.

“Well, don’t you think maybe when she’s had a chance to process everything you told her, she might come around?” asked Jiya hopefully. “I mean, it has to be a lot for her. It was a lot for me when I found out about this whole thing, and I’m not actually connected to it. My boyfriend didn’t just turn out to be James Bond with a Croatian accent.”

Garcia smiled slightly at the way she phrased it, more so at the way she was trying to be comforting and helpful. It meant a lot that she would try and he really would like to believe she was right. It was only that, right now, he didn’t really dare to hope anymore. For all he knew, Lucy would never want to know him ever again, never let him within ten feet of her, no matter what he said or did. Maybe it was pointless to even try, and yet...

* * *

“If I ever see that idiot again, I’m gonna drop him on his ass so fast, he’ll wonder what hit him,” said Amy crossly. “Seriously, he might be built like a tree, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be cut down to size!”

Lucy smiled a little at the way her sister phrased her threats, but her heart wasn’t really in it. It meant a lot that Amy would want to defend her honour, it was only that it wasn’t exactly necessary. As angry and hurt as Lucy had been last night when it happened, going over what she had been told that evening and in the days and weeks before, she had to admit, Garcia’s crimes weren’t so very awful.

True enough, he had lied to her, by omission if in no other way, but not about anything real, from what she could tell. After all, she knew about Lorena, she had met Iris, and on topics unnumbered they had talked in such detail, there was no way that it was all learned information. Garcia Flynn was his real name, so he said, and most of what she knew about him did seem to be real. Now the shock had passed, she almost wondered what she had really gotten so mad about. Of course, when she said as much to Amy, she immediately wished she hadn’t.

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” her sister asked with the most incredulous expression. “Lucy, he lied to you! You meeting him was all a set up, you told me that yourself.”

“Yes, I know that.” Lucy sighed, rubbing at her aching forehead. “But after that, after the first meeting, that’s when he said things changed. Maybe I’m an idiot, but I believe him, Amy. I don’t know why, but I do.”

The laughter that came out of her sister’s mouth then was not the mirthful kind, and Lucy couldn’t really blame her. Amy couldn’t understand and there was no way for Lucy to explain it to her, because honestly, she barely understood herself. There was just something in the way Garcia told her he loved her, the way he looked at her when he promised her faithfully that he told her so few lies and hated every one that he did have to use against her. She believed him. Rightly or wrongly, she just did.

“Okay, so, maybe, _maybe_ he was telling the truth about some stuff,” said Amy, barely giving an inch, as always where guys that hurt her sister were concerned, “and maybe he really did hate that he had to play you for so long, but that doesn’t make it okay. It doesn’t mean he can just tell you that you were part of some secret investigation and then carry on like it’s nothing.”

“That’s true.” Lucy nodded slowly. “I think he and I are going to have to talk some time, see if we can figure things out. Just not today. I am exhausted.”

“I can see that,” Amy sympathised. “You look awful.”

“Thank you. That’s so sweet.” Lucy deadpanned, smiling when Amy reached across the couch and hugged her one more time.

“I’m sorry, Luce, but I should really head to work,” she said then. “I mean, I could call in sick, but...”

“No, no, don’t do that,” Lucy insisted. “It’s bad enough that I called you over here at some stupid hour of the morning, just because I was having boyfriend trouble,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, this is not normal boyfriend trouble,” Amy reminded her, “and even if it was, I still would’ve come over. You know that. Any time,” she promised as Lucy walked her to the door.

“I know, and I appreciate it,” she said, reaching to hug her again. “You’re a pretty amazing sister, when you’re not being a brat,” she teased.

“Ha, you’re just jealous that I always got away with being a brat,” Amy countered, grinning for a moment when they parted, before turning solemn again. “Sure you’ll be okay?”

“Sure,” Lucy promised. “Now, go, work,” she said, giving her sister a light shove towards the door.

Turning back to the couch, Lucy had just thrown herself down amongst the cushions and pulled a blanket over her, thinking maybe now she could get a little sleep, when a buzzing sound caught her attention. She sat up so fast she almost gave herself whiplash, only to find Amy hadn’t quite left yet and was answering the intercom by the front door. Lucy held her breath, waiting to see who it was, sure that she already knew.

“Well, if it isn’t the scuzzy boyfriend,” said Amy, turning to look at her sister.

Lucy made wild throat-cutting motions and shook her head violently. Though she had said before that she and Garcia would have to talk at some point, now just wasn’t the time. She so was not ready for him, not today, not now.

“Hey, I’m not the one you need to grovel or explain to,” said Amy into the handset, “but the person who does need all of that, does not want it right now, so get lost, okay?” There was a pause before she started up again, raising her voice this time. “I’m serious, if you don’t go away, we _will_ call the cops. I’m pretty sure they’ll arrest anybody for harassment, even a secret super-spy.”

Lucy face-palmed when she heard that. She had told Amy about Garcia’s secrets when she was upset, and even then remembered to make her promise never to breathe a word. Amy could keep things to herself, thankfully, and Lucy supposed it wasn’t so bad that she mentioned any of this to Garcia, who probably already guessed Lucy would tell her sister at the very least. Still, it might’ve been easier if he hadn’t known, if he hadn’t found out like this that she shared already.

“You are just...” she told Amy the moment she hung up the intercom handset. “Did you have to?”

“Apparently, yes,” her sister told her easily. “Don’t worry, he said he’d go and that he wouldn’t come back until at least tomorrow. That buys you a little time,” she said with a sigh. “So, now I am really going. Anything you need me to pick up while I’m out in the world?”

“Not that I can think of, thanks.” Lucy sighed, flopping back down on the couch and pulling the blanket over her head for good measure.

“Well, text me if you think of anything,” said Amy as she opened the door to actually leave this time. “I’ll try to get out of work early. Honestly, for maybe the first time ever, I could make some excuse about the pain of women’s issues and not be lying,” she said, opening up the door to go. “I’ll see you later, Luce.”

The door closed in Amy’s wake without her sister even having a chance to say goodbye. Lucy pulled the blanket down off her face and slowly sat up. That last thing Amy had said, about women’s issues. It seemed to have been a while since Lucy herself had that particular monthly visit, now that she thought about it.

“No, no, no,” she said to herself as she scrambled up from the couch and ran to her room, grabbing her diary from the nightstand.

She flipped back four weeks, then five and six, searching out the usual marker that would tell her she got her period. Seven, eight, nine.

“Oh my God!” she gasped as she finally found it, an event that had occurred a whole two months ago. “Oh, this cannot be good.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like the 'maybe Lucy is pregnant' thing shocked a few people. I kind of assumed some of you would see it coming, but hey, maybe I'm even trickier than I thought I was! lol
> 
> On we go...

Garcia: Please, Lucy, I just want to see you, try to explain.

She read the text over again, beginning to type a response and deleting right after, as she had done at least ten times already. It was tough to know what to say, what to do. Of course, she wanted to see him, but there were also many reasons why she didn’t want to. Chief among them was the box in her lap right now, taunting her with its promise to give a 99% accurate result. Lucy was already pretty sure she knew the answer she was going to get when she took her pregnancy test, and honestly, she wasn’t certain whether she wanted that confirmation or not. The problem was that not having it wouldn’t change the facts. Wasn’t she the one who had been saying for weeks now that all she wanted was the truth? Isn’t that what she had gotten from Garcia, only to throw him out when he gave it to her?

Lucy put her face in her hands a moment but didn’t cry. She was so done with tears and regrets, they weren’t doing her any good. She used to be stronger than this. Lucy supposed she still was, deep down, she just had to find that part of herself again. She was certainly going to need all her strength and fortitude if she was pregnant. There would be decisions to make then, some of the biggest of her life, and like it or not, some of those were going to involve Garcia Flynn.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy put her cell down on the coffee table, picked the pregnancy test up out of her lap and marched herself off to the bathroom. Until she knew this answer, there would be no point in trying to figure out anything else. She had the truth about Garcia and his work. She had the truth about her natural father too. Now she needed to know if there was about to be another generation to this story, then Lucy could set about figuring out where she went from here.

Recapping the pregnancy test when she was done, she laid it on the side of the sink and washed her hands. From the next room, she heard her phone chirp with another incoming message and fought the urge to go see who and what it was. She just needed a few minutes, then she would answer whoever it was, whether it was Amy checking in or someone from work asking a question, or even Garcia begging her one more time for a chance to talk.

Leaning heavily on the side of the tub, Lucy closed her eyes for a minute and thought back to a couple of Saturdays ago. God, could it really be just two weeks since she and Garcia spent a whole day rolling around in her bed like a pair of young lovers? She hadn’t thought she could be any happier then. When he told her about his daughter it had been a shock, but she saw his confession as so sweet in the end, bringing her into his life like he really wanted her to be a part of it.

You didn’t let the partner meet the child unless you intended to have them stick around, Lucy considered. It was one of a few facts that made her want to believe what Garcia told her, that she was so much more than a job, a mark, a task to be completed. Surely, even if he could be so careless as to use Lucy (and she really did not want to think him capable) he would never use his daughter like that. Not Iris, surely not.

Glancing at her watch, Lucy sighed and waited some more, thought about Garcia and the little girl he had already fathered. She was adorable and so sweet. He would be seeing her tomorrow, she supposed, and Lucy might’ve gone along too, in different circumstances. Not now, of course.

Her phone beeped again and Lucy turned her back on the door, as if that would send some kind of message to the person trying to get a hold of her. No such luck. All her focus was on the pregnancy test as she checked her watch one more time and realised the results would be in. Though her hand was shaking terribly, Lucy picked up the plastic device that would tell her how the next part of her life was fated to go and stared down at the window that showed the result.

Immediately she saw the truth, her free hand went to her mouth and she fought to breathe. After a few shaky, painful breaths in and out, she found some sort of calm and then rushed back into the living room, scooping up her phone.

Unsurprisingly, the new messages were all from the same person, as she had expected.

Garcia: I know you’re angry and upset, probably confused, but if you just give me a chance to explain everything.  
Garcia: There’s no way we can leave things like this, Lucy.

Taking one more deep breath, Lucy typed her answer and hit send before she could change her mind.

Lucy: Three o’clock, my apartment. We’ll talk about everything.

* * *

Though he had wanted so badly to see her again, Garcia actually felt himself shaking as he waited outside of Lucy’s apartment door. Not much scared a man like him, but this was too important, she just meant so much that he was terrified of screwing it up in some irreparable way. It was something that she agreed to meet him so that they could talk things over, but he was still worried that she might not be able to properly forgive him, that maybe this had to be the end. It might just break him entirely if she said that.

The door opened then, and there she was, looking tired but no less beautiful than she ever had before.

“Hi,” she said, pushing her hair back from her face as she moved aside and let him into her apartment.

“Hello, Lucy,” he greeted her, stepping inside. “Thank you so much for-”

“Please, don’t,” she urged him. “I don’t want to hear thank you or sorry or anything like that right now,” she said, eyes closed as she waved it all away with her free hand, pushing the door closed with the other. “You’re here to tell me whatever explanation you want to tell me and then... well, we’ll see where we go from there.”

Garcia nodded his agreement and then followed her to the couch where they both sat down with a deliberate space between them. He would’ve given anything to be close, but right now, it was clear Lucy needed some distance, along with the explanation he had promised to give.

“So,” she said, arms folded defensively across her chest.

“So,” he echoed, “uh, I was going to start with how sorry I am for all of this, but since you already vetoed that,” he said, smiling slightly, changing his mind about even a hint of a joke when her own expression remained hard. “So, I guess I should explain about the investigation...?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure there’s any point.” Lucy shook her head, heaving a sigh. “I mean, you can’t give me details. I don’t even want you to, actually. Our first meeting was a set-up, you told me that. Not your idea, I’m guessing?”

“No, not my idea,” Garcia confirmed. “You weren’t entirely wrong in what you said about me being hand-picked and well-trained,” he admitted, feeling awful just saying it. “The agency did look into the kind of man you had found attractive in the past and then chose me for the assignment.”

“Well, I can’t deny they did a hell of a job,” said Lucy, almost laughing though there was no humour in her tone. “Tall, dark, and handsome may be an obvious go-to but I admit, it works for me. Still, it had to be more than that. All the stuff about history and everything, all those long talks we had. You learned all that for your job?”

“I could never,” said Garcia, shaking his head. “Everything we discussed, all those debates we had, they were real, Lucy. I am a little crazy about history, just like you. Whether it was part of why they chose me for the job or just a coincidence, I don’t know for sure, but that truly is a part of me. Almost everything you know about me is the truth, I swear it,” he said, daring to shift just a little closer and trying to meet her eyes too. “We didn’t meet by accident, Lucy, and my work is not entirely what I implied it was, but everything else, what my life has been, my marriage, my daughter, what I like and don’t like, and... and most importantly, my feelings for you, every part of that is the truth.”

She stared back at him, seemingly searching his eyes, his face for any hint of a lie. Garcia was happy to note that he didn’t have to hide anything as she tried to look right into his soul. What he was telling her here was absolutely true and he wasn’t afraid of it. He hoped she would believe him. He hoped and wished and prayed.

“Okay,” she said eventually, and a breath Garcia hadn’t known he was holding escaped from him all in a rush. “I believe you. Maybe that makes me crazy and stupid, but I do believe you.”

“Not crazy, draga, and never stupid,” he promised, reaching for her hand, just a little hurt when she pulled away and refused to let him hold on. “You have no idea how much it pained me to keep so much from you, but I really had no choice.”

Lucy nodded her head. “I believe that too. Like you said, it’s your job, you didn’t have a choice. Frankly, I’m amazed your boss agreed to it now. I mean, that’s what you said, right? That your boss said you could tell me everything?”

“Because of your father, yes.” Garcia nodded, trying not to wince when he mentioned Cahill again. “Part of my task when I was assigned to you was to ensure you knew nothing of Rittenhouse, and now, well, that extends to ensuring you never become a part of it.”

Lucy put a hand to her forehead, her eyes closing a moment, as if she was trying to stave off a headache. This had to be so hard on her, Garcia knew, and he wished he could soften the blow, but how? Benjamin Cahill was both Lucy’s biological father and a key member of an evil empire. Neither of those facts were things that Garcia could change. He only wished he could.

“I can’t,” she said, finally looking at him again. “I’m sorry, but right now, I can’t even process the whole evil father thing,” she told him, swallowing hard. “The last thing I need today is more nausea.”

Garcia nodded in understanding, thinking about taking her hand again before changing his mind. She clearly was not comfortable with that right now and he had to respect it, however much it hurt to be this close and no closer. He just so wanted to hold her and let her know it would all be okay in the end, even if he wasn’t sure how that was supposed to happen exactly.

“So,” he said eventually, “you believe my explanation, you accept my apology. Does that mean...?”

“I wish I knew what it meant.” Lucy sighed. “I wish I knew what anything meant anymore.”

The moment her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes, Garcia wanted to die. Bad enough that she had to be hurt by anyone or anything, but the fact he had played a part in her pain made it so much worse.

“Tell me what to do, Lucy,” he urged her. “Anything. You know I will do anything to make it easier, if you just let me try.”

He meant every word he said, Lucy was so sure of that. There were plenty of men who had passed through her life, making excuses for bad behaviour, telling her they loved her, giving explanations that barely held water. She was a pretty good judge and Lucy didn’t fall for much, and though it was true that Garcia Flynn was a professional liar for his work, she was pretty damn sure he was telling her the truth now.

Of course, that still didn’t make things all that much simpler. Even if she did believe him, even if she was right to, it didn’t guarantee a happy ending, especially not now. There were so many complications. One in particular that she really did have to tell him about, preferably sooner rather than later.

“I would love for you to make things easier, Garcia,” she said, swiping at a couple of stray tears, “but I just don’t know if you can.”

“You know that I love you. You do know that, Lucy.”

“I know that,” she assured him, letting herself move just a little closer, even if she wasn’t prepared to make contact yet. “I believe you when you say you love me, and in spite of everything, I’m pretty sure I still love you,” she admitted shakily, “but we’re not kids, Garcia. Neither of us are so stupid that we believe love is enough all by itself.”

“It can be, Lucy,” he told her desperately. “It can, if we just-”

“If we just, what?” she asked, shaking her head. “Try our hardest? Be our best selves? I honestly do not see that happening in the next few months, especially on my side,” she admitted, swallowing hard before she could go on. “Garcia, this is not just about you and me anymore,” she said, making herself meet his beautiful dark eyes and the confusion etched into the lines of his handsome face. “God knows, I could’ve so easily kept this from you after all the things you kept from me, but then we’d be as bad as each other, and hey, at least you had good reasons for your lies by omission,” she said too fast, taking in a much-needed deep breath before she finally made her confession. “Garcia, I took a test this morning. I’m pregnant.”

It was clear as anything that he was shocked by that revelation and though she really knew nothing of Croatian, she would bet an entire pay check that he just cursed, a lot.

“Lucy, this is...”

“A shock, I know,” she filled in for him, “but it’s true. We’re having a baby, and that means that when we figure out whatever this is between us, we have to get it right, because like I said, it’s not just about us anymore, not by a long shot.”


	17. Chapter 17

Garcia Flynn lost track of how long he had been walking and quite where he was headed. When he left Lucy’s apartment, all he knew was he was in no fit state to drive and had thought that a walk would help to clear his head, but that had proved untrue.

It was tough to find peace and calm when your life was one big tangle of lies, relationships, and general confusion. Strange to think that things had been so simple once, so straightforward. A good job, a loving wife, a beautiful baby girl, Garcia Flynn had a charmed life then, but piece by piece that life had changed into something else. Still happy in its own way, no doubt, just different. Sure, he got divorced, but it was all pretty amicable, and he and Lorena still got along. He only saw Iris one day in a regular week and a little more on holidays, but they made it work. His job got a little more complicated, but he always had liked a challenge. He still knew where he was, who he was, day by day, and he got along just fine, until Lucy.

It wasn’t as if he could blame her. She had become a part of his life by his design and the plans of those that employed him, but it was her presence in his world that had turned the whole thing upside-down. Lucy Preston was just one woman, and yet, in Garcia’s life she had proven to be a real force of nature. She uprooted all he thought he knew and understood, tore it all asunder, and rebuilt the world anew. What they could have together, what they could be, Garcia looked to the future and saw something amazing, and yet.

If only it had been real. If only he could have met her in some random place on some random day. Not that what they had built between them was at all fake. A few omissions of the truth aside, everything he told Lucy was true and she said she believed him. The feelings between them were so far from faked. What had passed between them was very real and had in fact produced something that would, in time, be very much flesh and blood.

Garcia stopped walking, looked up and realised that actually he did know where he was, though he hadn’t exactly come here on purpose. Well, maybe he had, subconsciously, at least. Heaving a sigh, he went across the street to the front door of the building and buzzed for the apartment number that had the name ‘Carlin’ beside it in the listing.

“It’s Flynn,” he said shortly when he got an answer.

Rufus let him in without another word.

“You did say if I ever needed to talk...” said Garcia when his friend opened the front door and faced him.

“And I meant that,” said Rufus, nodding his head as he ushered his work-mate inside. “I’m guessing whatever you want to talk about is... Lucy Preston adjacent?”

Garcia smiled in spite of how not funny all of this was. “That would be a good guess,” he admitted, dropping down onto the couch as Rufus took up the nearby chair. “I cannot begin to tell you how much I have screwed this up, Rufus.”

“She knows about the whole undercover thing, huh?” his friend checked.

“She knows,” he confirmed, running a hand over his face. “I told her. Agent Christopher pretty much gave me permission to, but that’s not even the half of it. Of course, there are parts of this that even you can’t know, but... well, one part is my own secret, so I guess that part, I can share with anyone. Why not a good friend?” he said, looking across at Rufus and wondering how he might react when he told him.

The guy was pretty straight-laced and straightforward too, but as Garcia just said, he was also a very good friend. He had admitted some time ago, he would never be able to do the job that the agents did, working undercover, having to tell lies to people for the sake of the greater good. Still, he did understand why it had to be done.

When Rufus told him some time ago that he was always around if he needed a friend, it had meant a lot, but Garcia never had expected to need to take him up on that offer. Now, he couldn’t think of anything better than getting everything off his chest to someone who had even half an idea of how messed up his life had become.

“Okay, so, what’s the big personal secret?” Rufus prompted, letting Garcia know he had been quiet too long.

“It’s... not just _my_ secret,” he admitted then. “It’s mine and Lucy’s, actually.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Rufus gasped. “You’re not about to tell me you’ve been playing us this whole time, right? I mean, while you were undercover looking into her, she wasn’t... she wasn’t undercover looking into you?”

“No.” Garcia shook his head, a frown taking over his face. “Rufus, what are you...?”

“I’ve seen this before,” Rufus continued, pointing at Flynn with a shaking hand as he got up from his seat, behaving more than a little frantically. “She got to you. She _is_ Rittenhouse and she flipped you or lured you over to the Dark Side, whatever you agent types call it. You’re going to give up everything for her, aren’t you?”

“Rufus, will you shut up and sit down!” Garcia told him frustratedly, glaring as he met his eyes. “If I ever hear you accuse Lucy of being part of that pack of evil assholes ever again, I will not be responsible for what happens to you,” he said firmly, a growl creeping into his voice that he could not control.

That seemed to get through to his so-called friend who slowly sank back into his chair, shaking his head.

“Okay,” he said eventually. “So, that’s not what this is. You and Lucy... it’s all good?”

“It’s good in the sense that neither one of us are evil.” Garcia rolled his eyes again. “It’s also pretty good that she believed me when I was able to tell her the whole truth about what has been going on,” he explained. “The part that could be good, but might also prove to be not-so-good, is... well, Lucy is pregnant, and before you ask, yes, it’s my child.”

Rufus’ eyes grew so wide, Garcia almost expected them to roll clean out of his head onto the carpet. Not that it was a surprising reaction in the circumstances. Garcia had been shocked himself when he heard the news. Not that he and Lucy hadn’t done plenty of the activity that made babies, but they were always so careful. Of course, nothing was a hundred percent guaranteed with birth control. Sometimes, despite everyone’s best efforts, nature just found a way.

“Wow,” said Rufus, still seemingly stunned a full two minutes later.

Garcia smirked. “You look like a cartoon,” he pointed out, finding that amusing even in amongst all the rest of the drama that came with the situation.

“Sorry.” Rufus shook his head, clearly then making a real effort to keep his expression even and obviously struggling to achieve it. “I’m just... Wow, she’s pregnant. You’re having a kid with the mark?”

“Apparently,” Garcia agreed, though the wording made him wince, even if it was accurate. “As you probably guessed, I didn’t plan for this to happen,” he explained, running a hand back through his hair. “Neither of us did, but it has and... well, Lucy isn’t sure yet what she wants to do, regarding the baby or our relationship. Not that I can blame her exactly. She has had a whole lot of shocks lately.”

He wasn’t looking at Rufus at first and when he finally did, wondering why his friend wasn’t saying anything, he realised there was very little he or anyone could say to improve this situation. What happened with the baby was largely Lucy’s decision in the first place. The same applied to their relationship, since Garcia could not and would not try to force his way into her life. He had some hope, based on all that she had said earlier. She did believe what he told her, about his work, about truly being in love with her.

“She even said she still loves me, or she thinks that she could,” he admitted aloud without even really meaning to. “I couldn’t exactly blame her if she didn’t but... I’ll take what I can get right now.”

“Man, I’m sorry.” Rufus sighed. “I mean, I have no idea what to say right now. If you didn’t know already, love life advice, not my strong point,” he said, shaking his head. “Honestly, even if it was, I’m not sure anybody knows how to deal with this kind of problem. In your position, well, the only guy I could think of to go to for help would be you.”

Whether it was the surprise of hearing him say it or the realisation that it probably actually made quite a bit of sense, Garcia wasn’t sure, but he found himself laughing, in spite of everything, when Rufus said that. He supposed his friend had a point. There was a very small number of people ever likely to find themselves in this kind of position, and Rufus sure as hell wasn’t one of them.

“Let me tell you something, Rufus,” he said with a look, “not that I think you would ever do anything else, but you make the most of Jiya being in your life while she is there. Treat her like the precious gift that she is to you, and hope every day that nothing ever happens to take her away.”

Rufus nodded his head solemnly. “I got it,” he promised. “Jiya is... she’s everything. So, believe me, I know exactly how you feel about Lucy Preston.”

Garcia could’ve argued the point but he knew it would be fruitless. Though it was tough to compare love of any type or form, and it probably shouldn’t even be attempted, he had a feeling that Rufus was right, that what he felt for Jiya was equally as strong and binding as anything he himself felt for Lucy.

“Hey, so, not so good with the talking and advice,” said Rufus then, rising from his seat, “but I have booze. Alcohol usually helps with this stuff, right?”

At that, Garcia smiled. “Couldn’t hurt.”

* * *

“Lucy, I’m home!”

Amy deliberately put on what her sister knew to be the most ridiculously over-done, borderline racist, Hispanic accent as she breezed into Lucy’s apartment, only to start coughing and choking the very next second.

“Welcome back, Ricky.” Lucy deadpanned, tossing a couple more pieces of paper into the smouldering contents of the small metal trash can at her feet. “Don’t worry, I’m almost done.”

She glanced at Amy then directed her attention to the precautions she was taking with her little bonfire - open window for the smoke, small fire extinguisher on the coffee table.

“I thought I’d be done before you got back. Guess not.” she said, blowing her nose one more time. “How was work?”

“‘How was work?’” Amy asked, waving smoke out of her face as she came to sit by her sister on the couch. “Seriously? You’re sitting in your apartment, burning stuff like a crazy person, and all I get is, ‘How was work?’”

“I’m sorry.” Lucy shook her head. “I burned some papers today. How was work?” she tried again.

Amy rolled her eyes. “Lucy, come on.”

“What? I don’t know what you want me to say, Amy. I had some paperwork I needed to destroy and this seemed like the best way.” Lucy shrugged, picking up a dishtowel from the arm of the couch and using it to carry the hot metal trash can to the bathroom.

She was dousing it with cold water from the faucet in the tub when Amy caught up to her.

“You ever heard of these machines called shredders? I hear they’re pretty great for document destruction.”

“That’s not destruction,” Lucy pointed out. “It just makes streamers that someone could easily paste back together if they really wanted to. Come on, we binge-watched _White Collar_ together. That guy managed it in prison, with a bar of soap and a lot of determination.”

Amy opened her mouth to make some kind of argument, Lucy was sure, but to her credit she closed it again fast and didn’t bother. Frankly, she looked a little defeated, which was unusual for Amy, but in the circumstances, probably understandable. 

There was a lot about what had been happening in her life lately that defeated Lucy too, at least, it had tried. In the end, she was not going to let anything get the best of her when there was another way to go.

“So, the papers were from him, right?” Amy checked.

“If you mean Garcia, then yes,” Lucy agreed, moving to wash the soot from her hands.

“Who else do we ever talk about these days?” Her sister sighed. “Have you seen him?”

“I invited him over, listened to what he had to say, told him about the baby,” Lucy explained, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, then at her sister whose face appeared over her shoulder in the reflection. “And before you ask, I still don’t exactly have all the answers for where I go from here, but I do have some.”

“Some is a start.” Amy shrugged. “What do you have so far?”

Lucy took a deep breath, let it out slow, and even found a half smile for her sister. “I’m having this baby. He or she is my child and they were made in a loving relationship, regardless of anything else. I want to keep this baby and I’m going to.”

“And what about the guy? You wanna keep him too?”

She faltered in trying to answer that particular question. “Well, honestly, that part is a little less clear.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all those who have left comments lately. I can only apologise for what is about to happen next...

“Hi, Mommy!” said Iris, grinning big as she threw herself at Lorena and hugged her tight.

“Hello, sweetheart,” her mother greeted her with a kiss on the top of her head. “You have fun with Daddy today?”

“So much fun!” Iris insisted as she dumped her coat and bag, letting out a huge yawn in the process.

“Okay then, well, say goodnight and then right upstairs to get ready for bed, it’s late,” said Lorena, as kind but no-nonsense as ever, Garcia noted.

Iris dutifully came over to hug and kiss him, whispering in his ear as he leaned down to meet her.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t cheer you up, Daddy. Volim te,” she said softly before withdrawing and running up the stairs.

He watched her go, then looked to his ex-wife who raised an inquiring eyebrow. Iris’ idea of speaking softly wasn’t really all that quiet, never had been.

“Before you even try to tell me you don’t know what she’s talking about,” said Lorena the second he opened his mouth to say just that, “I know that look, Garcia. Something is wrong, isn’t it?”

Letting out a long sigh, he shook his head. “You know how work can get. You also know that I can’t talk about it, not even with you.”

“Not even when we were together,” she recalled all too easily, though without too much bitterness in her tone, Garcia noted. “Of course, I never saw you look this tired or stressed over an assignment, even the big ones. Is it Lucy?”

It didn’t shock him that she would ask that. Lorena had always been sharp of mind, he never could have loved her like he had once if she hadn’t been. Besides, she did know he was seeing someone and the basics about Lucy, it was necessary to speak to her about that before having Iris meet his ‘new girlfriend’ a few Sundays back. Still, it did feel a little strange to be talking to his ex-wife about Lucy, in any context.

“Mostly, yes,” he said eventually in answer to her question, “but it’s so much more complicated than you would think.”

Lorena smiled knowingly. “It almost always is.”

Garcia smiled too, almost laughed in fact at the bizarre situation. Sometimes it still amazed him how civil the two of them could be with each other. Most divorced couples could barely stand to share a passing moment in each other’s company as they handed their child over like this. They just weren’t most people, he supposed.

“I should go,” he said then, turning to leave, but Lorena’s hand on his arm pulled him back.

“Garcia, I... I know a lot has happened, and I know your new girlfriend is probably a strange topic for me to volunteer to hear about, but if you need a friend...” she said, meeting his eyes. “We are still friends, aren’t we?”

Putting his hand over hers where it rested on his arm, Garcia nodded. “Always, draga, and thank you, I appreciate the thought at least,” he assured her, squeezing her hand before finally turning to go and meaning it this time.

It would be nice to talk everything out with Lorena or with anyone, but somehow, he doubted it would help. Spilling the whole story to Rufus didn’t really bring any relief, and the poor man hardly had anything like good advice to give to Garcia in any case, though he did his best.

Truthfully, there was very little anyone could do until Lucy decided what she wanted. Garcia couldn’t make her love him, couldn’t make her keep their child, could do nothing much of anything until he heard from her. Checking his cell, he found no messages, no voicemail, no response at all to the text he sent early this morning, asking how she was doing and if she had made any decisions. There was really nothing he could do until he heard back and the waiting was killing him.

* * *

Lucy stared hard at the screen of her cell phone, the blinking cursor taunting her. She really should reply to the last text she got from Garcia. It was more than twenty fours since he sent it, asking how she was doing and if she had made any decisions he should know about. It ought to be easy enough to write an answer to that. She was doing okay and yes, she had decided to keep the baby, even if she wasn’t 100% sure what that meant for the two of them. Somehow, she couldn’t write it.

That wasn’t exactly true. She had written it. Lucy had written, deleted, written again, edited, and started over so many times, it was actually ridiculous, but no message had ever been sent. She never got quite that far. Sighing heavily, she pushed the phone away across the table in the break room and picked up her sandwich to eat. The sight and smell of it repulsed her and she put it back down again, pushing that away too.

Lucy thanked her lucky stars nobody else was in the room to see her behaving this way and ask her what was wrong. She so did not want to talk about it right now. In fact, she really didn’t want to think about it either, though that was much easier said than done.

Pulling a book from her purse, she shifted to sit more comfortably in the seat and began reading, hoping that would work as a good distraction, at least for the next half hour. Unfortunately, the universe seemed to be against her. The next chapter of this particularly interesting book on the Second World War was all about Ian Fleming and his role as a secret service agent during that time.

“Seriously?” Lucy asked nobody in particular, closing up the book and tossing it onto the table, barely missing the food she couldn’t eat.

Her gaze went back to her cell then and she reached for it, taking one more look at Garcia’s last text. He wasn’t really the bad guy in all this. Lucy had to swallow hard when she recalled the real truth, thst the real bad guy was actually her birth father. Though she had burned all the evidence she had of her connection to Benjamin Cahill, there was no erasing the facts entirely or her own knowledge of them. A part of Lucy, the investigative, information-hungry part that made her such a good historian, wanted to know more, no matter how bad it got. That meant talking to Garcia, and about a lot more things than just this Rittenhouse business.

Shaking her head, she switched off her cell entirely and shoved it into her pocket, out of sight and out of mind.

“Not right now.”

* * *

“Wow, you look awful,” said Agent Christopher without pause the moment she ran into Garcia in the break room. “Anything I should know about?”

“Not unless my sleeping arrangements suddenly became your business,” he snapped without thinking, immediately regretting his tone. “I’m sorry, I’m just... tired,” he said, something that was not a lie but far from the whole truth either.

“These missions are taking their toll on everybody lately,” Denise sympathised, pouring out coffee for the both of them. “But at least we’re headed in the right direction. All that information we’ve been gathering, all the stake outs and the undercover ops, it’s all been worth it. We’ve made more arrests, flipped a few more of Rittenhouse’s less committed associates. We’re making a difference, Flynn, a real one,” she promised, as she handed him his drink.

“I hope so,” he said, nodding his head, though he knew as well as she did that the smile he painted on wasn’t at all real.

It was a good thing that Rittenhouse was being dismantled piece by piece, of course it was, but so few of Garcia’s problems would be solved by the destruction of that evil organisation. The end of Rittenhouse wouldn’t change things with him and Lucy, not anymore, and it would never alter the fact that her parents were tangled up in that awful group. So far, she only knew about her father’s involvement, a man she never met and never would, if Garcia had anything to do with it. She was still unaware that her mother had been part of it all too and, quite honestly, he would like to avoid telling her. Unfortunately, any more lies or even concealment of truth would do more harm than good. He would have to tell her eventually, no matter what.

“Garcia?”

He hadn’t realised his mind had wandered so far until Denise spoke again, her hand on his arm bringing him back to the room.

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

He smiled a wry smile. “Makes you wonder how I was ever a decent undercover agent if I’m this transparent.”

Denise smiled too at that. “You’re not, not usually,” she assured him. “You know as well as I do, you’re one of the greatest assets to this operation, Flynn, always have been, but love does strange things to people. If you could cover up feelings as strong as that, so that someone who’s known you as long as I have wouldn’t notice... I don’t think anybody is that good,” she told him, taking her coffee and disappearing out the door then.

She had been gone less than a minute and Garcia had his coffee mug almost to his lips when suddenly a loud alarm sounded. It took no more than a split second for Garcia to realise that was no smoke detector sound or similar. That kind of noise only meant one thing. Intruders, armed and dangerous. The coffee mug slipped through his fingers, smashing on the tile as he ran for the door, gun drawn from its holster before he barely hit the hallway.

Denise hadn’t gone far and was now also battle ready, as many more agents also sprang into action, concentrating on getting the unarmed, uninitiated staff to safety, as well as trying to figure out where the threat was and how they were going to deal with it.

“This only means one thing,” said Garcia, a statement not a question because he was sure he was right. “How did they get in?”

“How does anybody ever get into a secure building? By being smarter than us,” Denise said with a growl. “Either we let our guard down or we have a mole. We’ll figure that out later, for now, we find these assholes and make sure they do not leave here with any of our intel and without causing any casualties.”

Garcia nodded once, confirmation that he agreed and that he had her back as they headed down the hallway. Other armed agents escorted more and more of the administrative staff out in the other direction, including Jiya who gasped when she saw Garcia moving into the line of fire.

“Be careful,” she told her friend.

He nodded without really looking at her, concentrating on where he was going and what he was doing. He watched Denise put one hand briefly to her ear and then speak to someone other than him.

“Basement level,” she said, glancing back at him then. “Best guess, they think that’s where we’re keeping the machine.”

“Elevators locked down?”

Denise nodded. “For them. I have the override.”

They headed into the nearest car and straight down, not speaking at all during the journey. Garcia took a deep breath, kept his heartrate down and his focus strong. It was all too easy to let his mind wander at a time like this, worrying that he would never see Iris again, never see Lucy, never meet the child she was carrying. It was no good dwelling on the worst that could happen, he knew that. He had to be concentrated on the matter at hand, on taking out this scum that would threaten not just those he loved, but the country, the world at large.

“Ready?” said Denise as the elevator car sailed past the last few floors to the basement.

“You need to ask?” Garcia checked, readying his gun.

They stepped out of the elevator one behind the other, back to back, and looking all around. At first, there was nothing in the large open area, though both agents were well aware anyone could be lurking behind a pillar, behind one of two doors that led to other areas. When a shot suddenly rang out from the far corner, Denise and Garcia broke apart to dive for cover, then fire back as soon as they could.

Denise reported their status over her comms, letting whoever was listening know there was at least one hostile in the basement and their approximate location. They might need back up yet, but so far, it did just seem like one person shooting at them.

Glancing out from his hiding place, Garcia looked for movement and saw none. Creeping forward, he dodged between pillars, closing in on the shooter in the far corner of the open space. He didn’t bother calling to them, didn’t even try to negotiate.

If these were Rittenhouse members, he knew from experience it would do no good. They were usually the kind that would sooner die than be taken captive and, honestly, the way he felt about it right now, he might just oblige them.

* * *

Lucy was home from work before she remembered to turn her cell back on. Even then, she considered not bothering, but if Amy called to check on her and she didn’t reply, it would only cause unnecessary worry. With a sigh, Lucy hit the power button and watched the screen come to life. She frowned at the display that followed, telling her she had missed several calls from an unknown number. Before she had a chance to think too much about it or even consider maybe calling back, the same number called again. It couldn’t be a wrong number, not that many times. Lucy hit ‘Accept’ and gingerly put the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Lucy Preston?”

“Who’s asking?” said Lucy, refusing to let the shake into her voice, even though her hand was vibrating so much the phone was bumping against her face.

“This is Agent Denise Christopher,” said the no-nonsense female voice on the other end of the line. “I work with Garcia Flynn. Lucy, I’m afraid I have some bad news...”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all are still reading this after that last chapter... I promise, it will all be fixed in the end! Trust me, okay? ;)

“Look, I don’t understand what I’m doing here,” said Lucy, her foot tapping nervously on the leg of the chair. “You told me that Garcia was hurt in the line of duty, or whatever you guys call it when secret agents take on bad guys. You also told me he was going to be okay and that I can see him if I wanted to, so why am I here in this office talking to you?” she asked snippily, not even caring right now that she was facing off with a stern looking woman who worked for the state.

With everything that had been going on lately, Lucy was more than a little pissed that her life seemed to have become a complete circus of insane circumstances in the past few months. She could try to blame that on Garcia Flynn, but it had occurred to Lucy that, but for the fact Denise Christopher and the other higher-ups had sent him to her on his latest mission, none of this would have happened. Of course, that would also mean she never met and fell in love with a really amazing man, but right now, Lucy was concentrating on the frustrating and angry part in all of this. It was better than the sad and crying part at least.

“Miss Preston... Lucy,” said Denise, her face softening a little. “The last thing I want to do is make your life any harder than it already is. I understand that we’re probably not your favourite people right now, given Flynn’s mission and how you two met...”

“You were just doing your jobs, right?” said Lucy, an edge to her voice that she had trouble controlling. “I mean, that’s what you’re going to tell me, isn’t it? That it’s not Garcia’s fault or your fault, because you were just doing your jobs, protecting me and the country and whoever else?”

“In a nutshell, yes, I suppose that is what I was going to say.” Denise smiled slightly. “You know, I’ve read a lot of reports about you, Lucy, and Flynn has told me a few details that never even made it in to the official files, but somehow, I think I’ve still underestimated you and I apologise for that,” she said definitely. “There are plenty of women, or men for that matter, that wouldn’t have taken all this half as well as you have. You’re clearly made of sterner stuff than some other civilians I’ve met during this project.”

A hollow, humourless laugh escaped Lucy’s throat then as she pushed her hair back from her face.

“You have no idea,” she said, shaking her head. “If you saw me a few days ago... actually, if you saw me an hour ago, between hanging up the phone from you and getting here. I’m not so strong, Agent Christopher,” she insisted. “I just... I guess I realised that I can either curl up in a corner and cry and wish the world away like a child would, or I can act like the adult that I am, put on a brave face and try to find a new path through life, since the old one’s pretty much been blown to hell.”

“That’s quite the impressive attitude to have in the circumstances,” Denise told her. “And believe me, I’m not easily impressed. Garcia Flynn impresses me, I’ll admit. He’s one of the best agents I’ve ever had working for me. Of course, his being... compromised hasn’t helped him.”

“Compromised?” Lucy echoed, frowning a little before a light dawned in her head and she realised what was meant by that. “Oh. I guess agents aren’t supposed to get sucked into the fake relationship they start with the mark, right?”

“You were never a mark, Lucy, not really,” insisted Denise. “We didn’t suspect you of anything major and we weren’t trying to find evidence against you. If anything, Flynn’s befriending you was a precaution.”

“Befriending?” Lucy knew her tone and expression were just about as incredulous as they had ever been, but she couldn’t help it.

“Whatever you want to call it.” Denise shrugged her shoulders. “I know you two got close. I know Flynn established you knew nothing of your family’s connection with Rittenhouse...”

“Not my family.” Lucy shook her head firmly. “That man... he may be my biological father but I never met him, and after the things I heard from Garcia, I never want to. I had a dad, his name was Henry Wallace, and he was a good man. My mom, my sister, me, we have nothing to do with these evil assholes that are trying to control people or take over the world or whatever it is you’re trying to stop them doing. You’re telling me that they came into your building and shot the man that I... That they shot Garcia and could’ve killed him. Why would me or my family want anything to do with people like that?”

There was a look on Denise’s face that Lucy couldn’t quite read. She wasn’t quite sizing her up, but it was something like that. Maybe there was still some doubt in the senior agent’s mind that Lucy could be a really good actress and that all of this was a lie, but she hoped not.

“I believe you when you say you know nothing about Rittenhouse,” she said eventually. “At least, no more than Flynn has told you in the past few weeks. I also believe that your sister, Amy, is completely unconnected to the organisation and had no knowledge of the truth.”

“What truth?” Lucy asked, shaking her head. “She actually is Henry Wallace’s daughter. She has no link to Rittenhouse at all, not even a blood connection.”

Denise opened her mouth to say something then seemed to reconsider. She looked down, her hand going to a drawer in the desk and pulling out a folder. For a moment, she stared at the brown cover and then with a defeated kind of a sigh, tossed it across the desk towards Lucy.

“There’s really no easy way for you to find out about this,” she said sadly, “but I think, at this point, we owe you the whole truth, Lucy. In the circumstances, I don’t think we have any other choice.”

Frowning again and concentrating very hard on not letting her hands shake as she reached to pick up the folder, Lucy flipped the cover open and immediately gasped with shock when she saw what lie within.

* * *

It seemed like a supreme effort was required to open his eyes, as if the lids were made of lead, but somehow Garcia managed to squint into the light after a while. Initially, he wondered where he was and what had happened. This wasn’t his bed, or Lucy’s either, and that infernal beeping sound...

“I’m guessing those are the _bad_ Croatian words,” said a voice, off the back of his muttering about being in a hospital bed. “Don’t worry, I don’t repeat things that I don’t understand.”

Hearing her voice made him smile, just as it always had. Jiya was just that type of person, with an infectiously happy tone in her voice, come what may.

“I hope they’re paying you overtime for this,” he said, shifting in the bed and immediately regretting it as pain shot through his shoulder and all the way down his arm to his fingertips.

“Yeah, right. Like the government is just that kind,” Jiya joked, getting up from her seat beside the bed and trying to help any way she could to make him more comfortable. “If you push the button, you’ll get another shot of painkillers, I think,” she told him, picking up the green plastic device and proffering it at him.

Garcia considered a moment, then took the button and clicked it once. He really hated being pumped full of drugs, but right now he needed something. It was a while since he got wounded like this, but he remembered the agony a little too well. He at least managed to get himself up to a sitting position then, with a little help from his friend.

“You look awful, by the way,” she told him.

“Gee, thanks,” he dead-panned with a smirk he couldn’t help. “You know, you look pretty tired yourself.”

“Haven’t exactly slept yet.” Jiya shrugged as she dropped back down into her chair. “After we all had to evacuate, all the adrenaline from the panic and everything... there was no way to rest,” she explained, seemingly staring into space as she relived the frightening moments. “Then we heard that there were injuries, you and a couple of other agents. Thankfully, nobody was killed. Well, except some bad guys.”

“That’s something.” Garcia nodded, unsure what else to say after that.

He remembered it all, when he tried. Going down to the basement level with Denise, the shoot-out, the searing pain of being hit and going down. A part of him had been so sure it was the end for him as pounding footsteps echoed through the concrete towards him and his head hit the pillar that had been his safe cover before. After that, nothing, until he just woke up here, with Jiya by his bedside.

“You know, I appreciate it, but you didn’t have to stay.”

“Like I said, couldn’t have slept if I wanted to.” Jiya shrugged like it was no big deal. “Besides, somebody should be here for you. After all, you’re one of the heroes that keeps everyone else safe.”

Garcia wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at a statement like that. He ran his hand over his face and thought about all the trouble and pain he had caused in the last few months, to Lucy most of all. He hadn’t been able to protect her, not really. She had to learn the painful truth, was destined to get her heart broken, not just by the reality of who her parents really were, but by Garcia himself too. He hadn’t wanted it to go this way, and yet.

“So, I know this sounds weird, but Agent Christopher said the whole attack on our building was actually a good thing, you know, in the long term,” Jiya explained then. “We managed to detain a couple of their guys. Well, a guy and a girl, actually, but if they talk...”

“They won’t.” Garcia sighed. “Or I’d be more surprised if they did. Still, Denise isn’t wrong. Even if we can’t get further intel from them or flip them to our side, at least the attack proves one thing - we’re getting somewhere. If the top brass within Rittenhouse didn’t think we were close to destroying them, they never would have staged that kind of awkward assault on our home base.”

It meant it was all worth it, Garcia knew. Meant that his taking a bullet to the shoulder and lying to Lucy and all the work that had been done, the sacrifices that had been made by so many had been worth the pain, because Rittenhouse could really be destroyed, forever. It was worth it and yet it didn’t entirely feel that way, not when he thought of Lucy, her tear-stained face and the agony in her eyes as she told him to go.

“You need more morphine?” asked Jiya then, clearly misinterpreting the pained look on his own face.

Not that Garcia could blame her, of course. Shaking his head, he reached out with his good arm and patted her hand.

“You should go, check in with Rufus, get some sleep,” he told her kindly. “I’ll be fine by myself.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, eyes darting to the door and back, as if she wanted to go and yet at the same time would probably feel guilty if she did. “Because I can stay longer.”

“It was very kind of you to sit here until I woke up and I appreciate it,” he assured her, “but I’m a big boy, Jiya, and this is not the first time I’ve been in a hospital bed. It’s not even the first time I’ve been shot,” she told her of what she must already have suspected, given his line of work.

Jiya nodded her head. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” he promised, smiling as he watched her rise from her seat, retrieve her cell from the nightstand and turn to go.

Half way to the door, she suddenly turned back, opening her mouth to say something and then seemingly reconsidering it. Garcia was about to ask what was wrong when she told him anyway.

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you this, but Rufus text me while you were still out. Apparently, someone saw a woman they thought was Lucy Preston meeting up with Agent Christopher a couple of hours ago. Anyway, I just thought you should know,” she said with an awkward half-smile before turning away and actually leaving this time.

Garcia stared after her, trying to take in what she just said and what it could mean. There were various people involved in this operation who would know Lucy if they saw her, so chances were good she had been correctly identified. Why Denise would want to see her seemed pretty obvious too, to tell her about his injuries, presumably, but Garcia had a feeling there was more to it than that. Of course, he was unlikely to find out what it all meant for sure until Denise came to see him.

A voice in his head added, ‘or if Lucy comes to visit,’ but he pushed it away. After everything, he couldn’t really expect even so much as her sympathy, never mind her love, but he hoped. It was all he could do right now where Lucy Preston was concerned.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about a little hope in this fic, since it is #GarcyWeekend ;)

Lucy hovered outside the door to the private room, wondering whether she needed to knock, whether she even wanted to be here at all. Looking back down the hallway, she gave serious consideration to just turning around and leaving, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to actually do it. She needed to see Garcia, needed to know he was okay, knew she was never going to be satisfied until she saw with her own eyes that he was alright, despite all assurances from Agent Christopher and a doctor besides.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy tapped twice on the door and then tentatively pushed it open. She peered in to see Garcia sitting up in bed with a book held in his left hand. His right arm was across his chest, strapped up tight, and there were marks on his forehead, bruises or cuts maybe, but apart from that, he looked okay. As she stared, he smiled at her, dropping his book without a care, and suddenly, he was as much Garcia Flynn, the man she loved, as he had ever been.

“Lucy,” he said, a thousand emotions seeming to be laced through her name as she stepped fully into the room and faced him.

“Hello, Garcia,” she said, forcing a smile. “I, uh... your boss, Agent Christopher, she called me. She said... well, she told me you were injured and...”

Words started to fail her, but at least she wasn’t crying. Lucy took that as a good sign. Honestly, she had shed so many tears in the past few weeks, she wasn’t sure she had any more to give. It was some comfort to see that Garcia really was okay, not dead, not too badly hurt, smiling at her like he meant it.

“Someone told me you had met with Denise,” he confessed, nodding his head. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether that was a good or a bad sign. I certainly didn’t dare to hope too much that it meant you would come here.”

“Well, since we’re being so honest,” said Lucy as she moved closer, trying not to let an edge slip into her voice just because they were talking about honesty, “I wasn’t sure if I was coming here either,” she admitted, taking the empty seat beside the bed. “I wanted to. A part of me knew I had to see you, just to know you were really okay.”

Even as she said it, she felt herself wince, eyes landing on the sling and straps that held Garcia’s arm tightly to his body. He had been shot in the shoulder, the kind of injury that was probably pretty common against agents, soldiers, all types of people who put themselves quite literally in the line of fire as a matter of course. In Lucy’s world, it was much less normal. Professors and lecturers, they were not regularly shot at or called upon to put themselves in a position where they might be.

“I am okay, Lucy,” Garcia promised her, his good arm moving until his hand almost touched hers on the edge of the bed.

She moved away before he touched her. “And I am so glad that you are,” she promised, even as she shook her head. “Garcia, if you had been... if the worst had happened,” she said instead, knowing she was never going to manage to say things like ‘killed’ or ‘dead’ right now. “You have to know that would have broken my heart,” she said, meeting his eyes. “I didn’t think anything could hurt as much as what I’ve already been through. Finding out that our first meeting was all fake, that my birth father is... well, what he is, and then, after what Agent Christopher told me about my mother too...”

Her voice cracked and the words went away again when she got to that part. Lucy half-expected it to happen, but she realised too late that Garcia hadn’t been ready at all.

“She told you,” he said, seeming to recoil with the pain he knew she had to be feeling. “Lucy, I am so sorry.”

“Sorry that I have to live with the fact both my parents were part of something evil, or sorry that I found out from someone other than you?” she asked him straight.

“Both,” he replied in much the same manner. “I never intentionally kept your mother’s involvement with Rittenhouse from you. With Cahill still being alive, still a threat, I had to start with him, and then everything just... you didn’t really want to hear anymore, and I admit, I was so caught up in trying to save what we had, I barely even thought about telling you about her.”

Lucy often wondered if she was a fool for believing so much of what Garcia Flynn said to her. Still, she looked at him then and she just knew, somewhere deep in her gut, that all of this was real and honest. What Denise Christopher said certainly confirmed much of what Garcia had already told her, about their relationship being built mostly on reality. Very little was engineered lies. So little that Lucy could almost let it be swept under the rug and forgotten, if she wanted to.

“I believe you,” she told Garcia when he started to look concerned by her silence. “I believe that the only part of our relationship that was really a lie was the first meeting. I also believe that if we had met by chance instead, somehow, we would probably have ended up in the same relationship that we did anyway. Maybe that makes me certifiable, but it’s how I feel.”

Garcia shook his head. “You’re not crazy, Lucy,” he promised her. “Everything I have told you about myself, my life, my opinions, my feelings, it is true. I was vague about my work because I had to be, and yes, that first day, I was sent to a place we knew you would be and told what to do and say to get your attention, but you’re right. If we had met by accident, if we just ran into each other purely by chance, I am certain it would have gone just as well.”

The way he said it made her smile, the fact that he meant it and somehow, she just knew, it meant a lot. Of course, supposing it was true didn’t make it so. Everything that had gone before and led them to this point, it couldn’t be altered or taken back. Their relationship was what it was, both the good and bad parts. There was no going back, only forward.

Lucy looked down, her eyes fixing on the green button wired up to some machine or other, she supposed. It took her a moment to realise what it might be.

“Are you...? Um, this is for pain medication, right?” she checked, gesturing to the button.

Garcia nodded his head. “But don’t think for a minute that I don’t know what I’m saying or that I’ll have forgotten this whole conversation by tomorrow,” he promised.

When he reached for her hand this time, she let him take it, looking up to meet his gaze as he seemed to sigh with relief somehow.

“Lucy, I know you have had to deal with a lot these past few weeks, most especially in the last few days,” he said, swallowing hard, “but I have to ask you, about the baby-”

“I’m keeping it,” she said fast, not feeling like it was fair to keep it from him any longer - she hadn’t meant to be here this long without telling him her decision actually. “Whatever does or doesn’t happen with us, we’re talking about an innocent person and... and at least I can say with certainty that he or she was made out of love.”

Garcia’s hand tightened around her own and Lucy found him a smile as he nodded his agreement to what she said. “Yes, draga. You can say that.”

So much for no more tears, Lucy was sure she could feel them welling in her eyes one more time as she put her other hand on top of Garcia’s own, grasping it tightly between both of hers.

“You have no idea how much I wish we could just forget all of this,” she said, almost laughing at the absurdity of her request. “I mean, if I could just go back and change a few details, this could be a pretty great set-up. Career going well, amazing, handsome, kind, heroic boyfriend, baby on the way. It sounds so good on paper,” she said, sniffing a little to keep from letting too much emotion out all over again.

It pained Garcia to see her even a little upset, hurt so much more than the bullet hole in his shoulder ever could. The worst part was, what she was asking for wasn’t even impossible. To think that the very thing those Rittenhouse agents had been after when they came busting into the building was the solution to at least some of Lucy’s problems. ‘If I could just go back,’ that was what she had said. It was a phrase a lot of people used, never imagining it could really happen. Time travel was impossible, at least, that was what most people thought.

“Does it have to just be on paper?” he said then, pushing all other pointless musings aside.

After all, given the chance, Garcia would like to think that Lucy wouldn’t really change what had happened up to this point, painful as some of it may have been. She had the truth now, that had to count for something. Besides, she had just said that what they had, the future they could make ought to be good, if only in theory. Surely, it wasn’t impossible to make the potential outcome into a real one.

“I don’t know,” she told him, shaking her head. “So much has happened in the last few days, in the last few weeks and months since I met you. It makes my head hurt every time I try to figure out a real way forward. A part of me just wants to say, ‘Screw the complications, let’s just be together.’ I mean, it wouldn’t be so hard, would it? If I could just forgive you for the lies you had to tell. If we could just pretend that my bloodline isn’t... tainted,” she said, swallowing hard.

“You are _not_ tainted,” Garcia told her firmly, gripping her hand like his life depended on it. “Lucy, you’re nothing like them, nothing at all.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Even I don’t know anymore.”

“But I do,” he insisted, staring at her until she looked at him again. “I knew, from almost the first moment I met you, that you could never be a part of Rittenhouse. I’ve been trusting my gut for a long time, Lucy, and it’s a rare day when it fails me. You are a good person, maybe the most amazing person I have ever known in my life, and I... I know all this is so hard on you, but if you let me, I will do anything I can to make it easier, to make things better.”

That earned him a smile the like of which he had hardly dare hope he would ever see on her face again, at least, not directed at him. Garcia Flynn was well aware that, for so many reasons, he didn’t deserve her forgiveness or her love, but if he could gain it, even just in part, he would take whatever she could spare.

“I can’t make you any promises, Garcia, not now,” she told him honestly. “I just... I need some more time, to let everything sink in, to think things through some more. For a while, I need to concentrate on dealing with what Agent Christopher told me today and on adjusting my brain to the fact that I’m two people right now,” she said, one hand slipping down to rest on her stomach a moment. “I’m sorry but everything else is going to have to wait.”

It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear, but Garcia knew it could be worse. She wasn’t telling him a flat-out no. She wasn’t closing the door on the possibility of the two of them being together in the future. She just wasn’t ready yet, and that he could understand, even if he didn’t love it.

“And now, I think I should go,” said Lucy, hand sliding from his own as she stood up. “I am so glad that you’re going to be okay, Garcia,” she told him then, hesitating a moment before finally leaning forward, her hand at his face as she kissed his cheek. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

He didn’t know what to say that would help anymore, so he didn’t say anything, just watched her walk away without glancing back and hoped to God she meant what she said. This was Lucy, so if she said they would talk soon, they would. After all, Garcia reminded himself, she was never the liar in their relationship.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter. I almost deleted the whole thing and tried to come up with a different idea/direction, but then it kind of worked and I don’t hate it now. Meh, let me know what you think in a comment, if you want to :)

“Lucy!”

She had been so lost in her own thoughts, when a small child’s voice called her name, she spun around fast, hardly knowing who she expected to see. The grinning little girl that was allowed by her mother to run ahead at the crosswalk was at once familiar when she really looked at her, and Lucy smiled as Iris came rushing up to her and gave her a big hug.

“Hey, there,” she said, hugging her back. “This is a surprise. I didn’t realise you lived so close.”

“We don’t live here,” Iris explained, pulling back and looking up at her. “I’m going to see my friend Juliette.”

“Right.” Lucy nodded, feeling so very awkward now that Iris’ mother, Garcia’s ex-wife, had caught up to them. “Um, hi. You must be Lorena. I’m...”

“Lucy, yes, I know.” Lorena smiled kindly. “I’m sorry for the yelling,” she said of Iris’ noisy greeting from across the street. “She was just so excited to see you.”

“Well, can’t exactly hate being popular.” Lucy chuckled, feeling so dumb. “I’m sorry, this is... well, frankly, a little awkward.”

“It really doesn’t have to be,” said Lorena definitely. “Garcia and I... well, it’s been a while and we’re on good terms and everything. Honestly, I think it’s great that he has someone.”

Lucy opened her mouth to say something, anything that would clear up what was kind of a misunderstanding. After all, she and Garcia weren’t exactly together right now, but Lucy wasn’t really sure how much Lorena might know about that. Also, she really wasn’t sure how much she was willing to say in front of Iris.

“Mommy?” the little girl said then, pulling on her mother’s sleeve. “We’re going to be late.”

“Oh, well, I certainly don’t want to hold you up,” said Lucy fast, backing up a step with her hands held up. “We don’t want Juliette to worry you’re not coming for your play-date,” she said, smiling as best she could.

It didn’t come easy today, or most days lately, truth be told. It wasn’t all about the worries and confusion regarding Garcia and the baby and everything. Much of it, she suspected, was just hormones and such, since the crying came in waves, just like the nausea she also experienced at times.

“Um, Lucy?” Lorena called to her before she had quite managed to turn away. “I’ll just be a few minutes dropping Iris off. Do you maybe want to get a coffee or something?”

Lucy meant to say no. The word was right there on the tip of her tongue. After all, who agreed to coffee with their sort-of-boyfriend’s ex-wife just like that? Still, there was something about the way Lorena said it, the way she looked at her, Lucy had a feeling she could see something wasn’t quite right here. Also, this was the one person in the world that she knew of that had first-hand experience of not only being with Garcia and presumably being in love with him, but also with dealing with his job and everything.

“I don’t know,” she said after a moment, shaking her head. “It’s not that I don’t want to exactly, it’s just...”

“All I’m offering is a friendly ear,” Lorena assured her, “from one of the few people who might just understand. Someone who knows what it is to love him like I’m sure you do.”

She couldn’t help but smile at those words. Not that Lucy thought her feelings were so obvious for Garcia that Lorena could just tell. Nobody was that good. It was Iris that gave away how serious their relationship truly was. You didn’t introduce your young daughter to just anyone, especially not when you met the person you were dating while undercover for the government.

“Um, yeah, okay,” Lucy said eventually. “Coffee would be great.”

“Okay.” Lorena smiled, even as Iris began dragging her away by the hand. “You know DiMarcos?”

“I do.” Lucy nodded. “I’ll go wait for you there.”

She watched Garcia Flynn’s ex-wife walk away then and wondered what on earth she was doing. Lucy couldn’t think he would really mind the two of them talking, and even if he did, Lucy figured she had the right to do whatever she needed to in order to get her head straight on everything. That was in Garcia’s best interest in the long run, or it could be, anyway.

“It’s not his choice,” she said to herself, turning and headed straight for DiMarcos to wait for Lorena. “Of course, it is mine, and I’m already wondering why I made it...”

* * *

“Obviously, this wasn’t the main base, but the intel was good and we got a lot more in the raid.”

“Your team has done good work here, Wyatt,” Denise told him, flipping through the folder he had presented her with before. “I expected nothing less,” she added, smiling one of those rare smiles that meant she was truly pleased.

Garcia didn’t wonder at it. He didn’t know the soldier personally, but he had heard some pretty impressive things about Master Sergeant Logan and his Delta Force crew. It took the agents to uncover information and figure out the right way to hit Rittenhouse, but in the end, it took soldiers on the ground, armed to the teeth, to really get the job done.

“Thank you for your thorough report,” said Denise, shaking Wyatt’s hand. “Looks as if we really do have them on the ropes this time.”

“Seems that way,” he agreed with a smile, reaching his arm towards Garcia next before seeming to realise the problem. “Ah. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Agent Flynn.”

“Likewise, I’m sure,” he said nodding his head once, not exactly heartbroken that he couldn’t shake hands with his arm in a sling, which he proved once Wyatt was gone. “I don’t doubt he’s very good at his job but...”

“But you don’t like him,” said Denise without pause. “I noticed. Do I want to know why?”

Garcia shrugged his good shoulder. “Instinct?”

She shook her head even as she smiled and said no more about it. “How’s the shoulder, by the way?”

“Healing,” Garcia confirmed. “Not fast enough, obviously, but it’ll get there. In the meantime, at least I got to hear the good news about this latest raid. I suppose you were hoping for a thank you for bringing me in on the meeting?”

“Not especially hoping, no.” Denise shook her head. “But I did think you had enough manners, you would probably say it anyway.”

Garcia smirked at her frankness and got up from his seat to go now the meeting was over. “If I was going to thank you for anything,” he said from the door, “I think it would probably be for calling Lucy and telling her what happened to me,” he admitted. “And for telling her about Carol Preston, so I didn’t have to.”

“She’s been through so much already.” Denise sighed. “Believe me, I didn’t want to give her any more bad news, but it seemed only fair, in the circumstances. At least she knows everything now and has the chance to make some informed decisions,” she said, meeting Garcia’s gaze. “You know I hope they’re the right ones for everybody’s sake.”

Nodding that he understood, and perhaps thanking her in a way too, Garcia let himself out of the office and headed back to his own. He really hoped that Lucy made the right decisions too. He hoped against hope that he got the chance to be a real part of her future.

* * *

“You know if you’re really so uncomfortable, I can just leave,” Lorena offered. “The last thing I want to do is make matters worse-”

“Please, don’t,” Lucy urged her when she rose from her seat as if to go. “It’s not... I do want to talk. Honestly, I really need someone to talk to, someone that understands, and that is a short list right now.”

“Don’t I know it?” Lorena sighed, putting her butt back on the padded chair with a bump. “I’m assuming it’s the work? The secrets?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” said Lucy, laughing in spite of the fact it really should not be funny. “It’s... Well, I’m guessing even you’re not supposed to know the details, but our first meeting, me and Garcia, it was a set up. I was... the target? The mark? I’m sorry, I don’t know the terminology, only that the day I first ran into Garcia Flynn, he was there on purpose, knowing he was going to meet me, for his job.”

“Ouch.” Lorena winced as she said it. “But I’m guessing you guys moved past that pretty fast?”

“You could say that.” Lucy ducked her head and made a big deal of blowing on her coffee, since it was too hot to drink yet. “I don’t know what it is about him, he’s just different to other guys, which sounds so cliché, I know that.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

When she looked up to see the almost amused look on Lorena’s face, Lucy wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“Come on, Lucy, of all people, I know exactly what you mean. I was married to the man for seven years.”

“Seven? Wow.” Lucy shook her head. “I didn’t realise it was so long, but I guess with Iris... I should’ve known. Um, but it just didn’t work out? Because of his work?”

“Partly that.” Lorena shrugged, picking up her spoon and stirring her own drink around and around. “Honestly, I’m not sure it would’ve made too much of a difference what work Garcia did, he was always going to be pretty intense about it. It’s just that with this type of job, there’s so little he could share. It wasn’t a big reason why we didn’t stay married, but it didn’t help.”

“Right,” said Lucy thoughtfully, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “Well, that bodes so well for any future he and I might have.”

“You can’t compare what you have with what we had, Lucy,” Lorena insisted. “I mean, yes, there will always be work-related things he can’t tell you, I suppose, but he already seems to have let slip a lot more with you than he ever told me.”

Maybe she could’ve told her why that was. Lucy was a little unclear on what she was allowed to share and with whom these days, so for the most part, she said very little to anyone. Despite what Lorena said about Garcia not sharing his work with her, she had to have known a few things, it would be impossible for a husband and wife to never speak on the subject, she was sure. Still, Lucy wasn’t about to say too much to this woman, no matter how trustworthy she seemed. She didn’t know what problems it might cause, for herself, for Garcia, maybe even for Lorena herself and little Iris too.

“He’s trying to be as honest as he can with me,” she said eventually. “I know that. I feel stupid just saying it, but when he tells me what he says is the truth, I look in his eyes and... and I just know,” she explained, wondering if she was making any sense, almost certain that she wouldn’t be to anyone else.

The way Lorena smiled and nodded then proved she was telling this to the one other person in the world that really did understand.

“Yep, that sounds right,” she agreed. “It’s a very weird thing, believe me, I know, but Garcia Flynn is probably the most honest man I ever met. Doesn’t go with the job he has, and yet.”

“And yet,” Lucy echoed knowingly, almost laughing at how absurd this conversation was. “Well, at least I feel a little less crazy now.”

“Or maybe we’re both crazy.” Lorena shrugged. “Either way, trust me, Lucy, even before I met you, long before we ever had this conversation, I knew that he loved you, perhaps even more than he ever loved me.”

“Oh, no.” Lucy shook her head so hard she felt her own eyes rattle in the sockets. “I don’t think-”

“I do,” said Lorena insistently, “and it’s okay. If what we had was meant to last, it would have. It didn’t, which meant there had to be something else, some _one_ else. Maybe one day, I’ll find another man I feel that deeply for, maybe not, but I don’t want anything for Garcia but happiness, always. You make him happy. Not lately, because I’m guessing you guys hit a rocky patch, but he loves you, Lucy. Don’t ever doubt that.”

“Like I said, I really don’t,” she said, sighing as she finally took a long sip of her coffee, wincing at the taste that strangely no longer appealed.

“If I’m pushing too far into your personal business here, you can tell me to get lost, I won’t mind,” said Lorena then, getting Lucy’s attention back in a moment, “but are you pregnant?” she asked softly.

Lucy barely hesitated before slowly nodding her head.

“Wow. Now, that explains a lot,” Garcia’s ex admitted, taking a long drink from her own cup then going on to explain further. “He was in a very strange mood last weekend when he dropped Iris off, and then this week, he tried to make the whole conversation about his shoulder and how it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, blah, blah, blah, but there was something he wasn’t saying, something... hopeful, underneath all the dark brooding gloom,” she said, with a look. “You know, if nothing else, I can promise you he is a wonderful father.”

“I know.” Lucy smiled. “Seeing him with Iris that one Sunday we all spent together... I have no doubt about his abilities as a dad, and I want to believe that everything else is just going to work itself out. It just feels so complicated sometimes,” she admitted, pushing her hair back out of her face one more time.

“Somebody once said they don’t write songs about the ones that come easy,” Lorena recalled. “I forget who exactly said it, but it’s true, isn’t it?”

“I guess so,” said Lucy, thinking for a moment, pushing away the coffee she was never going to drink. “Thank you for this, Lorena. Not the coffee, obviously, but the talking,” she said, making vague gestures across the table.

“It’s no problem,” she told her easily. “Like I said, I just want Garcia to be happy. You make him happy, or you did, when things were going well for you two. I’m guessing he made you pretty happy too, for a while there.”

“Happier than I had ever been with anybody else,” Lucy confessed. “That has to mean something, right?”

“I think so,” her new friend agreed.

Not that Lucy really needed that particular confirmation. After all, in her heart of hearts, she already knew there was only one way for this to all turn out. Talking with Lorena had only made her all the more certain of the truth she had been holding onto for days now. There was only one path open to her that really made sense. It was probably about time she took it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to wrap this one up! :)

“So, you’re taking him back?” Amy gasped, eyes wide with shock. “Lucy, he lied to you!”

“No,” her sister insisted, shaking her head, only to stop and think for a moment. “Well, yes, actually, technically he did, but he had very good reasons. Like, the best reasons a person can have for not telling the whole truth, and I would explain them to you if I could but... well, national security is at stake.”

Lucy was well aware she had already told her sister a little more than she probably should have done when it came to Garcia’s real line of work and she was not about to spill anymore. Her knowing he was a government agent was one thing. All the stuff about Rittenhouse and everything, that was too much detail.

It did mean that Lucy also shouldn’t really tell Amy the truth about their mother, but she had already decided she didn’t want to do that anyway. Maybe she should, maybe Amy deserved that much, but Lucy just couldn’t do it to her. It wasn’t as if it would achieve anything anyway, just sully good memories for the both of them instead of only one.

Amy sighed a huge heaving sigh. “I already know there is no point me really giving you my opinion. I mean, you asked me for it, but you’re not going to listen to one word of anti-Flynn speech, are you?”

Lucy smiled. “I doubt you’re going to say anything I haven’t already thought of myself,” she admitted then. “Amy, I know Garcia made mistakes. I know it’s not great that he kept things from me and, in any other circumstances, I would be telling him to get lost and never come back.”

“Even with a baby involved?” Amy checked.

“Well, no, not entirely,” said Lucy thoughtfully. “Lies or not, he’s this baby’s father and I would have made sure they had a relationship, if he wanted that,” she said fairly, “but as far as he and I were concerned? No, we would’ve been done, but these are not normal circumstances, Amy. These are... circumstances beyond our control,” she said eventually. “And now, I know everything I need to know. Everything is out in the open and the bottom line is, I love him. I mean, I really, seriously love him and the thought of not pursuing this relationship, this great life we could have together... it seems insane to not at least give it a chance.”

She wondered if she would ever truly convince Amy that this decision did make sense for her. Lucy had to do it, no matter what. Had to trust her gut and put her faith in Garcia Flynn, even if she didn’t have her little sister’s backing. That said, she would feel better if she had it all the same. Amy was the last member of her family, her real family, that she trusted this much, whose opinion she valued above all others.

“I guess if it’s what you want,” she said after a while, “I mean, how can I stand in the way of anything that makes you happy, huh?”

With the biggest grin on her face, Lucy leaned across the couch to wrap her arms around her sister and hug her tight. When Amy hugged back, promising that she would be nothing but supportive - unless Garcia screwed up again, at which point she would go Buffy Summers on his ass - Lucy could do nothing but laugh. Now, it was most definitely time to talk to Garcia again and get this whole thing straightened out once and for all.

* * *

When Lucy called, Garcia dropped the phone in his rush to answer. It wasn’t easy operating with only one fully functioning arm yet, but he was coping. It meant he was pretty useless at his usual job and that led to him spending far too long sitting around wondering what Lucy was doing, thinking, feeling.

He didn’t like to bother her with too many calls and text messages, though he was sorely tempted. Today, finally, she called him and actually said she would like to see him, if he was free. Even if he hadn’t been, which of course he was, he would have cancelled anything and everything for her and was sure she ought to know it by now.

Twenty minutes after she called, he was at her apartment, his breath taken away by the sight of her the moment she opened the door and smiled.

“Hello, Garcia.”

“Hello, Lucy,” he said, swallowing hard. “I, uh, would’ve been here sooner but... well, I have to wait on cabs right now,” he said, gesturing to the sling holding his right arm.

She nodded in understanding and moved aside to let him in. “I never did ask you about that,” she noted as they moved over to the couch together. “Are you going to be out of action for a while? I mean, I was so relieved that you were alive and everything, I didn’t really think... There’s no permenant damage, right?”

“It’s unlikely.” Garcia shook his head, smiling at her concern because he had missed it so much, wondered if he would ever really have even that much of her affection back again. “It was a clean shot, no major arteries hit or bones shattered. It just needs time.”

Lucy sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. “I know the feeling,” she admitted with a small smile. “Time is a great healer, apparently,” she quoted, immediately seeming to regret it. “Wow, starting with all the good clichés today, aren’t I?”

“You’re nervous, draga,” Garcia noticed, reaching out with his free hand to take hers and more than happy to realise she was going to let him - that had to be a very good sign. “You know, you don’t have to be.”

“I know,” she agreed, turning her hand over under his and squeezing his fingers. “You have to understand, Garcia, these past few weeks... my life has been turned completely upside-down and you were no small part of that,” she explained. “The day we met, I thought I had found the most amazing guy, and as the days and weeks went by it was like, ‘How did I get this lucky?’ you know?” she said, glancing up to meet his eyes. “I fell so completely in love with you, and you actually seemed to feel the same, and then... Well, you know what happened, you were there.”

She rolled her eyes at herself and tried to laugh it off too, though Garcia could already see the tears threatening to spill over. He opened his mouth to tell her it was okay, that whatever her decision was, he understood, and a million other things that might just make her feel better. He never got the chance.

“No, please, I have to get all of this out,” she told him, taking a deep breath and pushing on. “Garcia, I have given this a lot of thought, and I mean a _lot_ ,” she emphasised, “and honestly, when I weigh it all up, I just come out with the same thing every time. I love you,” she said, almost seeming to be amazed by how simple the solution was, at least, Garcia hoped it was her solution, her answer to everything, because it was for him. “The fact is I love you and I believe you love me. I already decided I’m keeping this baby and... and I just think that, well, I want to keep you too,” she admitted, smiling a little. “If that’s okay with you?”

The way she phrased it was so ridiculous, in its way, Garcia actually laughed.

“Is it okay with me?” he checked, incredulous at the question as he leaned in closer until his forehead was almost touching her own. “Lucy, volim te više od samog života,” he told her, realising from the look on her face that she had no clue what any of that meant beyond her own name. “I love you, more than life itself,” he translated for her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. “The thought of losing you has been killing me by degrees, even though I knew that if I did, it would be my own fault-”

“No,” she insisted, cutting him off before he could say more. “It’s not all your fault. You were put in an impossible position, I know that,” she assured him. “But from here on out, I need the truth, always,” she told him definitely. “I know you’ll have things about your work that you can’t tell me and that’s fine, I understand that, but when it affects me, when it’s about my life or my family-”

“Then I will tell you everything, draga. I promise,” he swore faithfully, meeting her eyes and ensuring she knew every word was true.

“Okay,” she said then, nodding her head slightly and smiling once more. “Then I guess we can try and make this work, somehow?”

The smile that spread across Garcia’s face then made his cheeks hurt and he didn’t care at all, then suddenly Lucy was kissing him and the world around them just disappeared altogether. All he knew was her, the love she still had for him, the potentially glorious future that lay before them, the two of them and a baby to raise together.

“I’m sorry,” Lucy suddenly apologised, pulling back. “I’m kind of diving back in a little fast here, aren’t I? I mean, aren’t I?” she checked.

Garcia didn’t have words to give her, just pulled her closer again and kissed her this time, wanting to be sure she knew that he was happy enough to dive all the way into this with her. He would’ve gone further than simply kissing her if he had the use of both his arms. Frankly, he would’ve tried anyway if he didn’t think that would definitely come off as a little too much when they only just agreed to try again.

“Okay, so maybe not too fast.” Lucy giggled as she pulled back to get her breath. “I mean, it’s not as if we’re starting over, that would be impractical in so many ways,” she noted, eyes dipping to her stomach that would soon be showing evidence of how far into this relationship they really were already, “but if we pick up where we left of, kind of, it’ll be okay, right?”

“It’ll be okay,” Garcia promised her, his face held in her hands and eyes looking deeply into her own. “Lucy, you do know that this is everything... I barely let myself hope that you could still feel this way for me after all that has happened. That you can love me still, that you can trust me...”

“I do,” she promised. “For a while, I thought that made me crazy, but now?” She shook her head. “Now, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I put my trust in too many people that didn’t deserve it and it has made me so wary of doing that again, but this time I know I have it right. Garcia, I know you’re different, that what we have is so special. Just don’t prove me wrong, okay?”

“Never,” he promised her, sealing the deal with one more kiss.

For as long as he had breath in his body, Garcia Flynn vowed that he would keep that promise. Maybe his beginning with her had been unconventional and their relationship had not developed in the healthiest of ways, but that was the past now, and there was the future to look to instead. She had just made him the happiest man in the world and he would never let Lucy Preston down again for as long as he lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue to follow soon ;)


	23. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they all lived happily ever after ;)

Lucy woke to the exhilarating feeling of another night spent in her husband’s arms. Opening her eyes to the sight of Garcia Flynn lying next to her never did get old and Lucy suspected it never would. As husband’s went, he really was kind of amazing. Handsome, intelligent, great sense of humour, a real gentleman in polite company, and something entirely different behind closed doors. He loved her like nobody else ever had, proved himself an excellent father, both to his own daughter and the son they shared, and never did let Lucy down, not once. Not to mention he was a kickass secret agent guy and that didn’t hurt either.

“You know the whole watching me sleep thing never gets any less creepy, right?” he said, startling her just a little, one eye opening to peer at her as a smirk pulled at his lips.

“Hey, there have to be some perks to married life,” Lucy said smartly with a smile of her own.

A chuckle rumbled in Garcia’s chest as he moved closer, his hand cupping her cheek and pulling her into him. He kissed her deeply and Lucy let her eyes fall closed, revelling in all the wonderful feelings he always could evoke in her.

It all could’ve been so perfect, if not for the door suddenly opening and a projectile, in the form of a three-year-old boy, landing on the bed between them.

“Get up! Get up!” he cried happily.

Garcia shot Lucy a look that proved there was an inappropriate thought in his head, and she knew the fact she was finding it tough not to laugh proved to him she was thinking the same thing. Still, if anything was going to interrupt them from having that kind of fun, neither of them really minded too much when it was their son.

“Henry Thomas Flynn, what are we going to do with you, huh?” asked Garcia, grabbing the little boy and tickling him until he squealed.

“I’m so sorry!”

Lucy sat up, the covers clutched to her chest as she looked to a very flustered Iris.

“I heard him moving around, so I got up and went to go look, but by the time I found my robe and made it into the hall, he was gone.”

“Iris, it’s fine,” Lucy promised the twelve-year-old. “I know you like to help out with him, and we appreciate it so much, but Henry is not your responsibility.”

“No, he’s his own little monster,” Garcia joked, kissing his son’s cheek before bouncing him over to Lucy for a hug. “Don’t worry, mališa, we were awake anyway,” he told Iris kindly.

The way she looked between her father and Lucy then seemed significant somehow, and then she was calling for Henry to go with her if he wanted breakfast.

“I’ll make you chocolate cereal,” she said, knowing as they all did it was more than enough to entice him.

“Choco-cereal!” Henry cheered, fighting and clambering to get away from his parents then and rushing to get to Iris just as fast as he could.

She laughed as he grabbed her hand and tried to drag her away. “We’ll be okay for a little while,” she said with a smile before going with her half-brother and closing the door behind her.

Lucy sighed happily and moved closer to Garcia again, her head landing on his shoulder. “She is so great,” she said of Iris. “I mean, seriously, she’s so grown up for her age, so amazing with Henry, and she just... understands,” she said, glancing up at Garcia.

“You know you will get no arguments from me, draga,” he said, smiling widely. “I could not love anyone more than I love my wife and my children,” he swore, leaning down to kiss the end of her nose.

That made her laugh, but she was serious again in a second. She really did mean what she said about Iris and knew that Garcia was just as serious in what he said about loving them all so much. It had been so complicated in the beginning, there were times when Lucy wondered if things could ever work out to even a vague semblance of a happy ending. It had been a long time now since she had to worry about that.

Of course, life wasn’t perfect, it never could be, but it was good, very good in fact, a not-small part of the time.

“When we got together,” she said thoughtfully then, shifting closer as Garcia’s arm went around her back and held her tight, “I worried about Iris. Not that I didn’t think she was great, and I mean, we got along from the start, but I didn’t know how I’d fit into her life. I didn’t know how she would handle it when you had another child to love, but she just... took it in her stride.”

“You and Henry aren’t exactly hard to love,” her husband assured her, fingers playing with the ends of her hair. “And I don’t think you could have worried any more than Lorena did. She was so nervous about dating again.”

“But she and Max are perfect for each other,” said Lucy definitely, tilting her head back to look up at Garcia. “Every time I see them together, they’re just so happy.”

“It is nice to see her smile like that again,” he agreed. “Aren’t we all just very well-adjusted grown-ups around here?”

“Hmm, sometimes,” Lucy considered with a smirk she couldn’t help. “You were a little less than adult last night when Iris and I were kicking your butt at Trivial Pursuit.”

“Ha! Says the woman who was disputing the answer to almost every history question in the box,” he reminded her, laughing the same as she was by now.

Soon they were playfully wrestling around in the bed and then suddenly kissing and quite forgetting about any grown-up responsibilities they might have, as they got lost in each other for a while.

Lucy was sure that she had never been as happy as this in her whole life before. She had an amazing family that she built for herself - a sister she adored, a husband and son she couldn’t love more, and a step-daughter that meant almost as much, plus Rufus and Jiya and their twins as another branch on the family tree, despite no blood being shared between any of them.

The parents she had known lived on in her memory, and all the ties she was supposed to have to Rittenhouse were long forgotten, that organisation having been more destroyed than dismantled some time before. There was nothing much in Lucy’s life that required her to worry anymore. Well, almost nothing.

A yell from the kitchen and a crash of dishes on the tile made Lucy and Garcia spring apart, reaching for robes and slippers as they climbed out of bed, so they could go investigate what was going on.

“Family life, huh?” he said as they met by the door.

“Would you have it any other way?” Lucy asked him with a smile.

“Not at all, draga,” he told her definitely, stealing one last kiss before they headed out to face whatever minor drama was occurring now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all who left kudos on this story - thank you :)
> 
> To all who left comments on this story, be it just one, one for every chapter, or any number in-between - thank you very much :)


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